Do You Mean It?
by XxrealityxX
Summary: May, Dawn, Misty, and Leaf are assassins, each with their own power. This mission will be like no other, for they're not supposed to kill...yet. Slow-moving Contestshipping, with ORS, IS, and PS.
1. Chapter 1

_Punch. Thrust. Duck. Punch._

Her mind was void of distractions, her mind set on the task at hand. She looked at her opponent with a calculated gaze, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

_There!_

With a well-aimed hit, she knocked the other person onto her back, gasping for breath. Pausing to wipe off her sweat, the girl looked around the room. Her teal eyes finally took in the audience around her, clapping and shouting her name. She grinned and bowed to the surrounding people, then turned around to help her fallen opponent. Lending her hand, the teal-eyed girl easily brought the green-eyed to her feet and the two walked out of the room together.

Said green-eyed girl was clad in a forest green sports bra and black spandex shorts. Her hair was long and the color of mahogany. She had on an emerald ring on her third finger of her left hand. Her face was open and kind, and she was the picture of a warm-hearted person.

"Misty, how come you always beat me?" complained the green-eyed girl, complete with a pout on her face.

"Maybe you should train harder Leaf. Then you'll stop complaining so much. Besides, I lose too." Misty had fiery, orange hair which clashed with her teal eyes. She wore an aqua sports bra and dark blue running shorts. Her hair was short and spiky, but long enough to be put in her signature hair style of a high, side ponytail. On her third finger of her left hand, she wore a ring similar to Leaf's, with the only difference being an aquamarine stone.

"Losing to May doesn't count. She's a prodigy at this. Fighting is her second nature", responded Leaf.

"Did someone call my name?" asked a girl with blue eyes. This girl wore a red, skin-tight tank and white spandex. She was thin and fit, like the other two girls, and had chocolate hair in two bunches. Her ring, in the same place as the others', had a ruby in the center. With a cocked eyebrow, May walked toward the other two girls.

"We were just commenting on how skilled you are" said Misty.

"Like usual" Leaf added.

"Well", May started, "I would let you guys continue that conversation, but Mark wants us in the meeting room." She held up a hand and said, "I don't know what for, so don't ask. Let's just go."

"Is Dawn already there?" asked Leaf.

"We're about to find out", May replied.

xxxxxxxx

The girls walked down the metal halls, turning every corner or so. This building was like a maze. Of course, the girls had gotten used to it by now, knowing every nook and cranny. It took a solid three minutes for them to reach the meeting room. Just as May was about to turn the doorknob, a voice carried over from down the hall.

"Wait a sec!"

This high-pitched voice belonged to Dawn, a girl with navy eyes and matching hair that was put up in a high ponytail. She wore a light pink sports bra and white shorts similar to May's. On her finger was ring of rose quartz. She ran the rest of the way and stopped right by the three others.

"Alright. Continue" she said.

With a roll of her eyes, May opened the door.

xxxxxx

The meeting room had the standard table and chairs, along with a projector and such. It was a typical meeting room, and the girls entered it without hesitation. At the head of the table, there was a man, tall and confident. He addressed the girls as soon as they walked in.

"Hello girls."

"Hey Mark", chorused Misty, Leaf, Dawn, and May.

"Have a seat". Like usual, whenever their dad called them in, the first thing they had to do was sit.

"What's up? New mission?" asked Dawn.

Misty rolled her eyes and said, "Why else would we be in here?"

Before a debate could ensue, their boss intervened. "Yes, there's a new mission. This time, however, it's long-term. Meaning it'll probably take up an entire year."

Misty groaned. "I hate these missions. They take _forever_".

Ignoring Misty, Mark continued. "Your mission is not to protect anyone, but merely to collect information, and possibly more later in the mission. There are four boys. Each of you is assigned to a specific one, but you are all in charge of keeping tabs on each one."

He pulled out a remote and set the projector to the first slide. "First is Ash Ketchum. He is 17, and has been a trainer since 10 years old. He always has a Pikachu with him. Black hair, black eyes. Not necessarily the brightest person in the world. Ash is from Pallet Town in Kanto.

Second is Gary Oak. 17 as well, Gary has been a trainer since he was 9. He's a rather powerful trainer. Auburn hair and black eyes. Same place as Ash. He is cocky and thinks very highly of himself. His best pokemon is Umbreon.

Third is Drew Hayden. Green hair and eyes. He is also 17, and has been a coordinator since 10. He is very good at coordinating. He is from LaRousse in Hoenn, and his signature pokemon is Roselia.

Fourth is Paul Shinji. He is 18 and a trainer. Has been for 8 years. His style is typically brute force, and is rather harsh. Purple hair and black eyes. His favorite pokemon is Torterra.

Currently, these boys are studying at the Battle Tower to hone their skills. You will be transferred there in exactly 10 hours. I want each one of you to pick one of these four. Now."

The girls considered each boy, mentally deciding which one they wanted. There was some debate on who got who, but they finally made a decision.

Leaf went first. "I'll take Gary."

"Drew!" exclaimed Dawn, extremely pleased with who she got.

"Ash for me", Misty said, shrugging.

May sighed. "And I get Paul. Joy." Clearly unhappy with her choice, May shot a glare at Dawn who had begged her to take Paul so she could have Drew. It's not that May wanted Drew; she just didn't want Paul. He looked a bit on the scary side.

"Excellent", said Mark. "These boys are part of an opposing organization, the Kroloy Organization. Long story short, this group, like many others, is trying to take over the world. I need you four to gather as much information as possible about Kroloy, and report back to me. Be warned, these boys are high skilled in combat, just like you are. They don't have special skills like you guys do, but they are skilled in the use of guns and bombs. Remember- right now, all I want is information. Any questions?".

When none were voiced, Mark sent them off with a few more words. "Try to blend in at the Battle Tower. Pack regular, teen clothes, but don't forget your spy gear. And you may each bring six pokemon, per the Battle Tower rules. Good luck".

With that, May, Dawn, Misty, and Leaf left to their respective rooms to get ready for their oncoming mission.

xxxxxxxx

_10 hours later_

May, Misty, Leaf, and Dawn were on a plane, flying over to the Battle Tower in Sinnoh. Misty was reading a magazine, Dawn was catching up on her "beauty sleep", Leaf was nibbling on some crackers, and May was staring out the window, lost in thought. She sat there, unmoving, for about five minutes before she abruptly jumped up, scaring the others. She started pacing up and down the aisle with her hands tearing out her hair.

"I hate this! I need to do _something _other than just sit here. Give me something to punch or hit or something!" she cried.

An agitated Dawn ripped off her sleeping mask and whined, "May! Was that necessary? You just woke me up from my very need beauty sleep. Go take a nap yourself or something of that nature." With that, Dawn slipped her mask back on and tried to zone out May's voice.

"Gah! I feel so useless doing nothing. How can you guys just sit there?"

"Actually, I'm perfectly content with reading my magazine", Misty said.

"Besides, with this jet, we'll be there in about 20 minutes. You can last that long. Here- have a cracker." Leaf said, trying to calm May down.

May begrudgingly took a cracker and sat back down in her chair with a huff. She tapped her nails on the armrests, shifted around in her seat trying to get comfortable, took out a magazine and looked at it for about one minute before getting bored. She made so much noise that Dawn finally cried out.

"Calm down May! Honestly, just sit tight for about ten more minutes. Ten minutes of silence is all I'm asking. I understand that you hate being confined, but **calm down**."

With a glare, May stayed silent, mentally throwing insults at Dawn, while Leaf just looked amused during the whole onslaught. Misty was too engrossed in her magazine to really care about what was happening.

_This is the Captain speaking. We will be landing in roughly five minutes. Please remain seated until that time._

"Finally!" Those were the longest five minutes May had to endure in her entire life. When the plane finally landed, she literally took her carry-on and sprinted off. The other girls had more decency and manners to walk down the plane, thanking the attendants. Once they all got off the plane, they were ushered into a limo and drove off.

"Where are we headed?" asked Dawn, to no one in particular.

"I'm pretty sure we're headed to a place rather close to the Battle Tower, seeing as we're not actually going to be living in it", Leaf said. Turns out Leaf was right for ten minutes later, the limo pulled up to a mansion with the Battle Tower in it view. Once they got out of the car, they ran into the house and claimed their rooms.

Misty chose a room right next to the mansion's indoor pool, perfect for a midnight swim. Conveniently, the room was already painted blue. _Perfect_, she thought with a smile. She laid out her clothes and put them away in their respective drawers and closets.

Dawn had a room with a balcony, perfect for tanning. The room's walls were peach, and she quickly decided that some pink was needed. She took out all her posters and stuffed animals and such and decorated her room. When she was done with decorating, she painstakingly put away all of her clothes- a tedious task due to the mountain of stuff she brought.

Leaf's room had bamboo floors, and had a very nature-y feel to it. To heighten that, she put some plants and flowers around the room. Her window, facing the back, had an awesome view of the forest. She gazed at it for a few moments, then turned around to unpack.

The room May chose wasn't anything extraordinary special. The walls were white and all the necessary things were there. _Simple, just the way I like it_. She unpacked the few things she brought, and sat on the bed quickly after, for unpacking took very little time. She noticed a partly hidden door on the side of the room which caught her interest. May walked towards it and cautiously opened it. She walked up the steps that were present until she came across another door. She placed her hand on the knob, bracing herself for whatever was behind it. Then, she opened the door.

May gasped at where she was. She was on the roof of their mansion, and she saw everything. She saw the forest, houses, the Battle Tower, the shopping center. Everything. She sat down for awhile, forgetting about anything else. She was snapped out of her reverie when she heard the others calling for her. Sadly, May left the roof, promising herself that she'd return soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! This is just a filler chapter. I don't want to get behind on updates from the start, so here's something to read until I update again, which will probably be this weekend or so.**

XxxxxxX

"Who's waking Dawn up today? I'm sure she won't want to be late for her first day of 'school'", said Leaf.

"Well, since Misty's making pancakes, it's up to you and me.", sighed May.

"This sucks. Why are we always stuck with waking up this drama queen?"

May replied, "One- Misty won't feed us unless we do. Two- when Dawn wakes up and finds out that we didn't wake her, then, well, you know."

Leaf _did_ know. She remembered that day vividly. They hadn't woken up Dawn for her hair appointment and let her sleep in. They had gone deaf for the entire day after listening to Dawn scream as loud as she could for 10 minutes straight.

Leaf groaned. "Let's just get it over with."

Together, the two of them entered Dawn's pink room. "Should we do it gradually or should we do something that we know she wouldn't appreciate?" asked Leaf.

"Hmmmm. I know! Be right back!" May ran back downstairs and was back in the room in a flash. In her right hand was a bucket full of water. "Skitty, take the stage!"

"Mewwww", Skitty cried, stretching her back.

"Would you be so kind as to use a tiny blizzard on this water?" asked May.

"Ngew!" Skitty took a breath and breathed over the water, cooling it down enough to freezing temperatures, but not quite freezing it entirely.

"Thanks Skitty!" With that, May returned her pokemon. "Ready, Leaf?"

Leaf, who had been watching with a growing grin nodded back at May with a devious look in her eye. "Dawn is so going to kill us."

"Not if we run away as fast as we can!" May retorted.

Leaf laughed. "On the count of three, then. 3…2…**1**!"

Together, May and Leaf tossed the ice-cold water onto Dawn, achieving three things. 1) Waking Dawn up. 2) Making Dawn cold and angry. 3) Possibly signing their death note.

"**MAY AND LEAF! WHEN I GET A HOLD OF YOU, YOU'RE GONNA WISH THAT YOU NEVER LIVED!**", Dawn screamed.

The two girls literally sprinted out of the room, ran into their respective rooms, and locked their doors. Misty, who was downstairs flipping pancakes, rolled her eyes when hearing the scream. _Typical May. Typical Leaf. Typical Dawn. _She continued to make breakfast while zoning out Dawn's shrieks.

It took May about five minutes to get dressed and ready for school, seeing as she really didn't care about what she wore all that much. The Battle Tower was in Larousse City which was by the sea, and the weather was warm and sunny. Seeing as it was the first day of school, May made an attempt to dress nicer than usual. She had on a red halter top, a black skinny-belt on her waist, and a pair of white shorts. The usual ring was on her finger, and her hair was in its usual two bunches. She tied a white bandana onto her hair, and bounded down the stairs to breakfast.

Leaf was also quick to dress because she had chosen out on outfit the day before. She wore a thin, see-through tank top of the color green with a brown cami underneath. For bottoms, she had on jeans shorts. Leaf ran a hair-brush through her thick, brown hair and put a swipe of mascara on her eyes. To complete the look, she put on ear-rings in the shape of leaves, along with her emerald ring. She, too, went down for breakfast.

"Morning Misty!" Leaf sang.

May would have said the same, but she was too busy stuffing her face with pancakes to be talking. However, after she swallowed, she complimented Misty's outfit. "You're looking cute today."

"Aw, thanks." Misty had on a light-blue shirt with lines different shades of blue running over it. Coupled with white jean shorts and sea-shell necklace, Misty was cute and comfortable, just the way she liked it. Her hair was in its high side-pony, and she had the faintest blue liner around her eyes.

"Where's the drama queen? It's almost time to leave", Misty asked.

"No need to worry! I'm ready!" trilled a feminine voice. All three turned around to see Dawn walking down the stairs into the kitchen.

It had taken said girl an entire hour to prepare for school. The shower had taken a good twenty minutes, ten to choose an outfit, fifteen for the hair, ten to change her outfit, and five minutes for make-up. She had on a thin, white scoop-neck shirt and a baby-pink shirt that went down to mid-thigh. On her ears were pearl ear-rings, and a random charm necklace accented with gold hung from her neck. Her mane of blue hair was pin straight, with the parts framing her face pulled back with a pin. She had on a touch of blush and pink eye shadow. And, never forget, the ring on her finger.

Dawn twirled around for her sisters. "How do I look?" she asked, a bit nervously.

Leaf was the one who responded. "You look great, like usual".

May, wanted to get on Dawn's good side to avoid an early death, added, "You're gorgeous. Every guy will be drooling over you." The flattering definitely won Dawn over.

She giggled, "Thanks you guys. You're all looking cute too."

"We have to go you guys. School starts in about twenty minutes, and we still need to get our schedules and crap like that." Misty preached.

"Fine, we'll go", May said.

All four girls slipped on their shoes- brown Toms for Leaf, white black flip-flops for May, pink flats for Dawn, and blue Keds on Misty's feet. They filed out of the mansion, into the car, and drove off towards the Battle Tower.

XxxxxX

After about, oh, three minutes, the girls arrived at the monolithic building known as the Battle Tower. They processed out of the limousine's doors and walked towards the front doors of the building. They walked up the steps, and just as they reached the top and final step, a group of people, four to be exact, blocked their way to the door.

A masculine voice rang out from the one of the four. "Well well, look who we have here."

XxxxxxX

**I** **bet you guys can guess who these four are… :p**


	3. Chapter 3

**Now we're finally gonna meet the boys! ;) Hopefully, this chapter is one of those many twists to the plot. Hope you like it!**

**LoveLoverGrl- to answer your question, I didn't want this story to be the boring, overused plot. But don't worry, I'll make sure that they switch. :P**

XxxxX

_Previously :_ _A masculine voice rang out from the one of the four. "Well well, look who we have here."_

XxxxxX

May, Misty, Dawn, and Paul peered at the person who voiced his thoughts. He had spiky, auburn hair and black eyes.

"May I ask who you four are?" Leaf asked politely, even though they knew full well who the boys were.

"Looks like we have some newbies at the Battle Tower, seeing as they don't know who we are", said a boy with green hair and eyes.

"If you must know, the guy with the green hair and eyes is Drew Hayden. The brown haired guy? That's Gary Oak. The purple haired person is Paul Shinji, and I'm Ash Ketchum" said a boy with black hair and eyes.

"Look at them. I bet that after one day, they'll be in tears, wanting to go home. There's no way they're Battle Tower material", Gary mocked.

The girls, who had stayed relatively silent during this exchange, blew up at this last comment.

"Are you calling us weak?" May exploded.

Paul snorted. "Isn't it obvious?" he sneered.

Dawn decided that she did not like this Paul one bit. "You don't even know who we are, so don't you dare judge a book by its cover. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to speak with the Dean." she spat.

"Wait a sec", called the last person, a guy with black hair and eyes- Ash Ketchum. "Before you're allowed in, you have to go through a…a…"

"An initiation", Drew provided.

Leaf asked, "And what sort of initiation would this be?"

Paul simply said, "A battle".

"Well, I think we can handle one battle, can't we girls?" Misty mused.

"Not so fast", said Gary. "You see, this battle determines your social standing at the Battle Tower. If you can beat your opponents, who have never been beaten, then you're immediately of utmost popularity. If you lose in a matter of seconds, which you _girls_ probably will, then you don't belong here."

"And who will we being battling?" asked Dawn.

"Us", the boys chorused.

They walked away from the school towards a battlefield, and made a 'follow us' motion. The girls looked at each other, shrugged, and followed the four.

XxxxX

The battlefield that Drew, Gary, Paul, and Ash led the girls to had two parts- the first being a standard battlefield, the second being a pool, clearly meant for water pokemon.

Behind the boys, an audience had gathered. It consisted of basically everyone attending the Battle Tower. They made a ring around the boys, the 'newbies', and a table. On the table were two die.

"Our battles are determined by chance", said Ash. "Basically, you take these two die in your hand, close your hands, shake your hands, open your hands, and-"

Paul cut in. "Just roll the die", he said, glaring at Ash. Said boy looked a little put out that he was cut off.

"You see," Drew began, "The red die determines who battles- the pokemon or the pokemon with their trainers. If you roll an even number on the red die, then it's simply the pokemon who are battling. If you roll an odd, then both pokemon and trainer fight. The blue determines how many. If you roll a 1, 2, or a 3, it is a single battle. 4, 5, or 6 mean a double battle."

"If you get snake eyes, it's just that one person versus all four of us." Gary added with an evil look in his eye.

"The longer you are battling, the higher you will be in popularity. The only thing not left up to chance is who you battle, because you get to choose who. But know this- we're undefeated", Drew finished.

"Got it?" Ash asked.

The girls straightened their shoulders, looked the boys in the eye, and nodded.

"So who's up first?" Paul asked with a smirk.

XxxxxX

The girls made a little huddle.

"Make sure you don't go all out. Otherwise, everyone will be suspicious of us, and we're supposed to blend in", Misty warned.

Leaf disagreed slightly. "These boys are probably the most popular at the Battle Tower. We need to show that we're good so we can get higher on the hierarchy and keep tabs on them."

"Leaf's right" Dawn said. "Why don't we give it…60%?"

"Deal", May said.

"Deal", the rest chorused.

Ash interrupted their little discussion. "We don't have all day. Who wants to go?" he asked.

Dawn stood up straight and said in a clear voice, "I will".

She walked over to the table and cupped the dice. She shook them carefully, then let them spill from her hands. The red die read a 2, and the blue a 3.

"Looks like it's a single battle, just pokemon", Gary concluded. "Who do you want to battle?"

Dawn knew that she should learn as much as she could about her specific boy, so she chose Drew.

"I want to battle Drew."

Said boy flipped his fringe and smirked at Dawn. "Let's get this over with."

XxxxxX

The two walked out over to the battlefield and stood at their respective ends.

"Ladies first", Drew taunted.

Dawn narrowed her eyes but let her hand skim over her belt which contained her pokeballs. She paused for a moment, then grabbed a pokeball. Throwing it into the air, Dawn exclaimed,

"Pachirisu! Spotlight!"

Drew smirked at the little pokemon but made no comment. He quickly decided on his pokemon.

"Absol, come on out!"

An Absol appeared from the pokeball, and it stood magnificently on the field while glaring with its red eyes at Pachirisu.

"This battle will be a one-on-one battle. There is no time limit. Begin!" said some random referee.

"Pachirisu, spark!" Dawn began.

"Absol, jump up to dodge and then use razor wind from above." Absol did just as his trainer asked him to.

Pachirisu knew to dodge without its trainer telling it to. "Sweet kiss into discharge", Dawn commanded.

Pachirisu did exactly that. The blue of the discharge combined with the pink of the sweet kiss turned the combination into a purple streak of electricity, aiming right at Absol. The move was very powerful, but Absol was too quick for it, and dodged it.

"Nice, Absol. Now, flash into water pulse." The flash was pure, white light, and easily blinded all of the spectators, as well as Pachirisu. Then, Absol sent a powerful water pulse towards the tiny pokemon.

Dawn needed to act fast. _Now's the time to show him what we're made of_. "Pachirisu, run towards the water pulse!" The pokemon, trusting its trainer wholeheartedly, ran towards the giant orb of water. The audience gasped, and Drew, too, was shocked.

On the sidelines, Paul scoffed. "I bet she's giving up. Weakling."

As Pachirisu got closer and closer, Drew got cockier and cockier. It jumped up to meet the attack, and a split second before it did, Dawn cried out a command.

"Spin!"

To everyone's amazement, Pachirisu spun in the air, dodging the attack entirely while simultaneously wrapping water around itself. It continued to soar towards Absol, and hit it dead on with a tackle. Absol took on a decent amount of damage, but was able to remain standing.

Dawn then thought to herself. _This is probably enough showing off. Better make things end quickly before I look suspicious._

Drew, a bit flustered, called, "Flash, then double iron tail!"

Dawn, pretending to look nervous, called out a stupid move on purpose. "Pachirisu, use, umm, use sweet kiss!"

Pachirisu was a bit confused but did as it was told. Absol easily evaded the attack and made a direct hit with its iron tail. It landed, turned around, and quickly hit Pachirisu with another iron tail. Pachirisu was knocked out, and Drew was declared the winner.

Said boy smirked knowingly, and raised his hand to the crowed. The spectators, especially the female portion, went wild. Dawn returned Pachirisu, and whispered into the pokeball, "Sorry, Pachirisu. But you know that we have a mission, and I can't seem too strong. Thank you."

Then, the referee announced to everyone, "The time of his battle was 6 minutes, 43 seconds. This is the longest time that anyone as lasted against Drew Hayden. Congratulation to both of you."

Dawn smiled, then walked on over to her sisters.

"Nice job!" Leaf said.

May added, "You would have won had it been a _real _battle."

"Yeah. Way to take one for the team", Misty said jokingly.

"Thanks you guys." Dawn smiled. "At least I know I'll be able to keep tabs on Drew, seeing as I am on the second highest level of popularity."

On the other side of the battlefield, the boys were congratulating Drew.

"That was awesome, like usual, man", Ash said.

"Of course you won. The girl was an easy win", Gary arrogantly added.

"I know she was. But, I must say, she did have some nice moves. Not like I'd tell her that", Drew added.

Paul remained stoic and silent. Unknown to everyone else, his eyes were watching said, staring at her intently. _That girl… There's something about her, but I don't know what. Oh well. Best to just figure out more about her_.

Unknown to both parties, one group was trying to figure the other out and vice versa.

The boys strode over to the table at about the same time the girls did.

"Who's up next?" asked Gary.

The girls looked at each other. It was Misty who stepped forward this time.

"Me."

XxxxX

With the dice clasped between her hands, Misty shook them four times, then released them. 5 on the red, 1 on the blue.

"So this means that it's a single battle, and I battle too?"

"Correct", Gary said. "Who would you like to battle?"

Misty, thinking along the same lines that Dawn did before, said,

"Ash."

XxxxX

Rather than walk towards the battlefield, Misty made a beeline for the pool. "We're battling in the water", she declared. She somehow managed to put on a swimsuit before the battle, and stood on one end of the pool. Ash, also clad in a swimsuit, stood at the other end.

"This will be a one-on-one battle with no time limit. The trainers will be fighting to. Trainers-release your pokemon."

Ash went first. "Buizel- I choose you!" An orange, cat-looking pokemon was released and landed in the water. It had on a determined face, and waited to see its opponent.

Misty had many water-type pokemon to choose from, but she couldn't battle with her most powerful. So, she decided on, "Kingdra! Come on out!"

Kingdra, the third and final evolution of horsea, appeared in the water. It immediately narrowed its eyes when it saw Buizel.

"Trainers, jump in with your pokemon", the referee announced. Misty entered the water with a perfect dive, while Ash simply jumped in.

"Are the trainers ready?" Both Ash and Misty nodded.

"Begin!"

XxxxX

**So how was this chapter? This was my first time ever writing a battle scene. Suggestions? Comments? Anything is welcome! R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Previously: _ _"Trainers, jump in with your pokemon", the referee announced. Misty entered the water with a perfect dive, while Ash simply jumped in._

"_Are the trainers ready?" Both Ash and Misty nodded._

"_Begin!"_

XxxxX

"Buizel, use sonic boom!" Buizel's tail glowed silver, and a powerful sonic boom hurtled toward Kingdra and Misty. Knowing she had to act fast, Misty jumped onto Kingdra's back, right above its fin, and called out, "Surf!"

Both trainer and pokemon alike evaded the sonic boom and were quickly approaching their opponents on a huge wave of water.

"Water pulse at the base of the wave, Buizel!" Buizel did its trainer told it to do, and sent a water pulse at the bottom of the wave, destroying it. This left Misty and Kingdra in the air, and falling.

Misty then called, "Dragon pulse into hydro pump!" With that, she dived off her pokemon's back, allowing it to move freely.

As a dragon pulse was sent towards Buizel, Kingdra followed up with a hydro pump. Tendrils of water surrounded the sphere of energy, and the combination led to the dragon pulse increasing in size and hurtling even faster towards Buizel.

Ash panicked a bit, but had to act quickly. "Sonic boom!" The attack hit the dragon pulse- hydro pump combination, weakened it, but not enough for it to disappear. "Keep up with the sonic boom, Buizel. Hurry, before it hits!"

Both Ash and Buizel were occupied or distracted, leaving a perfect opening for Misty. She swam easily and stealthily, with her toned arms pushing her along. Swimming along the bottom of the pool, she was directly under Ash. Misty pushed her legs off the bottom, and swam to where said boy was. Ash, not knowing a thing, yelped when a felt a hand on his ankle. He had no time to retaliate before he was pulled under by Misty.

Buizel had successfully destroyed the powerful combination of Kingdra's, and swam underwater to help its trainer, as did Kingdra. Both trainers mounted their respective pokemon, and both went up for air. Then, both went back under.

Seeing as they couldn't speak underwater, both trainers had to use hand motions to signify which attack they wanted their pokemon to use. Ash pointed to Buizel's whole frame, then pointed at Misty and Kingdra. Seeing that his pokemon understood, Ash got off Buizel and swam back towards the surface.

Per his trainer's orders, Buizel used aqua jet. He shot towards Misty and Kindra, growing closer and closer with each passing moment. Misty, still underwater, made a little twirling motion with her finger. Kindra easily understood what Misty wanted it to do. It sent out a cyclone of water towards Buizel, effectively trapping it. The water was constantly spinning, and Buizel had no way out of it. This was twister.

Misty swam back up for air, and saw Ash debating whether or not to join Buizel in the twister to somehow help it. Not wanting him to get seriously injured, Misty decided it was time to end the battle. She knew she wasn't supposed to show off, but could she help that she was a water pokemon expert?

She quickly dove back under towards Kingdra, and motion for it to go up. Kindra did indeed swim up towards the surface, bringing the twister, and Buizel, with it.

"Dragon pulse."

Kingdra sent the aqua sphere of energy into the twister, making both attacks all the more powerful.

Buizel cried out, "Bui!"

Ash, not wanting to see his pokemon hurt, swam towards the attack, but it was too late. Misty signaled to Kingdra to stop, and the twister ended. Buizel was floating on its back, unconscious.

"The winner of this battle is Misty. It last 4 minutes and 28 seconds. Congratulations Misty on being the first to defeat Ash Ketchum." The audience cried when Ash didn't win, but had to gaze in wonder towards Misty. They all suddenly wanted to get to know her better. They cheered wildly for Misty, screaming her name.

As Misty padded over towards her sisters, May, Leaf, and Dawn immediately congratulated her.

"That was amazing Mist!" said Dawn.

"Thanks, but do you think that I looked too powerful?" asked Misty, worried.

Leaf shook her head. "Nah. Ash isn't the strongest of those four. Besides, these boys were bound to lose sometime. Why not now?"

Misty laughed. "I guess you're right."

May gazed towards the audience with a surprised look on her face. "These boys weren't joking when they said these battles determine your popularity. Look at everyone cheering for you, Mist!"

Despite knowing that it was true, Misty refused to let it get to her head. "They'll get over it soon enough."

The boys, on the other hand, weren't of the same mood as the girls.

"How did that _girl_ manage to beat you?" asked Drew incredulously.

"Maybe it's because he doesn't like hurting girls, so he didn't give it his all", Gary suggested.

Ash knew this wasn't true, but he had to save face. "Yeah, like Gary said. It wouldn't have been cool to beat up a girl."

Paul snorted. "I would have."

"We know you would", Drew answered for all of them.

"Let's go you guys. They're already at the table", said Drew.

XxxxX

Leaf already had the dice in her hand when the guys joined them. She rolled 4 on the red die and a 2 on the blue.

"Single battle, only pokemon", concluded Drew. "Who do you choose?"

Leaf was going along her sisters' plans and decided on "Gary."

Said boy smirked and asked, "Field or pool?"

"Field", she responded.

They walked on over, then went to their respective end.

"This will be a one-on-one battle. There is no time limit. The battle ends when either side's pokemon is unable to battle. Begin!"

"Go, Electivire!" The final form of Elekid appeared from Gary's pokeball.

"Come on out, Tropius!" Leaf threw her pokeball up in the air, and out came Tropius, the Fruit pokemon. It used its leaf-like wings to fly into the air.

Gary quickly got started. "Thunderbolt!" Elective shot a bolt of lightning towards Tropius from the top of its head.

"Tropius, counter with razor leaf", cried Leaf.

The two attacks met and cancelled each other out. However, this thunderbolt was merely a distraction, for once the smoke from the two attacks disappeared, Electivire was running at full speed towards Tropius.

"Electivire, use your tails to launch yourself up into the air!" Its twin tails launched the pokemon from the ground, sending itself soaring right to where Tropius was flying. "Iron tail!" Leaf, pretending to be shocked from the move, allowed Electivire to land a direct hit. Tropius took a lot of damage, but recovered quickly.

"Tropius, quickly! Use energy ball into gust while Electivire is falling!" Tropius did just that. It shot an energy ball, and quickly followed with a gust, which intensified the energy ball's speed and power.

Gary, however, was quick to retaliate. "Protect!" This move allowed Electivire to land safely on the ground.

Leaf was not to be deterred, though. "Fly high and charge up your solar beam!" With a cry, Tropius shot into the air towards the sun.

Gary knew that solar beam was a powerful attack, and wanted to stop Tropius before it could charge up completely. "Electivire, launch yourself back into the air!" Electivire tried, but Tropius had flown too high up into the air for Electivire to reach. Gary silently cursed to himself. "There isn't really anything we can do but wait. So prepare yourself, and when Tropius comes back down, use protect."

"Vire!", said Electivire, saying that it understood.

"Go, Tropius! Solar-Leaf combination!" cried Leaf.

"Solar-Leaf combination? Never heard of that before…" said Gary.

As Tropius flew down, Electivire couldn't look at it because the sun was directly behind the pokemon, blinding anyone who gazed up on it. Tropius released its solar beam, and quickly shot a razor leaf towards it. The leaves wrapped around the beam, and the fused together into a light-green, twister-like attack. This combination hurtled towards Electivire, who had used protect. It braced itself for the impact, hoping that it'd be strong enough to hold out. However, the combination was just too powerful. It hit the dome of protect, immediately shattered it, and hit Electivire with full-on force.

"Vire!" cried the pokemon. It was pummeled backwards, into a rock, clearly sustaining much damage. Gary gaped, clearly not expecting an attack of that magnitude of power. He refused to show weakness, however, and quickly issued another attack.

"Hurry Electivire! Retaliate with an iron tail and thunder punch!"

Leaf decided she was done showing off, so she allowed both attacks to hit her Tropius, which left it unconscious.

"Gary Oak is the victor. This battle lasted 3 minutes, 52 seconds, meaning that this challenger has lasted the longest against Gary Oak. Congratulations to the both of you."

Both trainers returned their pokemon.

"Thank you Tropius. I'm sorry that you had to lose, but you understand that this is for the mission." Leaf then walked back towards her sisters.

"You certainly gave that Gary a run for his money. You would've won if it weren't for the mission", Misty said. "There's no doubt about that."

"You seriously should have seen his face when you pulled that Solar-Leaf combo! It was hilarious!" laughed Dawn. "He looked like a fish out of water!"

"But you proved your worth Leaf. This battle put you right where you need to be", May finished.

Leaf smiled. "Thanks you guys. Now, it's May's turn. Whatever happens May, do not pummel your opponent into the ground. I know you want to," May grinned at that," but you can't."

May sighed. "Fine…" With that, the girls walked back over to the table.

Back on the boys' side, Drew was clapping Gary on the back. "That's how you do it. That girl had nothing on you."

Ash then included, "That combo she had wasn't even all that great. An easy win, right Paul?" Paul just nodded.

"What's with the silence Paul? Jealous that you haven't battled yet?", Gary taunted.

"He's just being Paul", said Ash.

Drew interjected, "Let's go on over. There's one girl left. By the looks of it, she'll be out in a minute. Maybe less. Weakling."

_Oh Drew…could you be more wrong?_

XxxxX

**Another chapter finished. Hope you guys liked it! And I hope you guys love the next one! I've spent so much time planning out May's battle, it's not even funny. R&R!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Longest chapter yet! And what is this? Two uploads in one day? Jeez! But it's to make up for the busy weeks I have ahead of me. Finals are coming up. :o But I'll try to update as soon as I can.**

**Enjoy!**

XxxxX

May strode confidently toward the table and grabbed the two die. She shook and released them. When she glanced down to see what she got, she rolled her eyes at the results. _It's always me, isn't it?_ Sitting right in front of her was a 1 on the red die, and 1 on the blue die. Snake eyes. Of course.

Dawn looked over May's shoulders and gasped. "She rolled snake eyes. That means…"

"That means she battles all of us", Drew finished. By now, the audience had realized the situation at hand and murmurs of excitement and pity reached the ears of the two groups. Excitement for the chance to see this rare battle, and pity for May because the last time someone rolled snake eyes, he was out immediately after releasing his pokemon.

Rolling snake eyes, however, did not faze May in the slightest. She simply walked on over to her side of the battlefield, and waited pointedly for the four guys to go to their side.

The way May acted definitely sparked at least some of the guys' interests, especially Drew's. _She's not acting like any other challenger who has rolled two one's before. Interesting…_

On the other hand, Ash was thinking _if she's anything like her sister Misty, then I'd better stay focused_.

Once the guys reached their end, the referee announced, "This will be a four-on-four battle between the challenger and Drew, Gary, Paul, and Ash. These four have one pokemon each while the challenger has four. The battle ends when all four of one side's pokemon are unable to battle. There is no time limit. Begin!"

The boys released their pokemon first.

"Staraptor, I choose you!" Ash cried. "Starrr-aptor!"

"Flygon, go!" Drew released his pokemon.

Paul went next. "Ursaring, stand by for battle." The monolithic, bear-like pokemon came out of its pokeball with a roar.

Lastly, Gary. "Come on out Nidoqueen!"

With that, the boys waited on May's choices.

Said girl contemplated who to call out. She reached for her necklace, but quickly retracted her hand, for she couldn't use Blaziken, seeing as it was too high a level. That left five pokemon to choose from. After a moment's thought, she took four pokeballs from her bracelet, enlarged them, and threw them into the air.

"Beautifly, Wartortle, Venusaur, and Skitty- take the stage!" The pokemons' choruses rang out as each was released.

Upon seeing the Skitty, all four boys laughed.

"That puny pokemon, it won't last a minute." Ash chortled.

Gary laughed, "Not even thirty seconds."

"Well, that's to be expected. A weak pokemon from a weak trainer", said Drew with a flick of his hair.

"Pathetic", was all Paul said.

These comments left May enraged. Her sapphire eyes blazed and she wanted to attack those boys right then and there. They could insult her, but there was no way they were insulting her pokemon. "Look here. Skitty is just as good as any of your pokemon, and probably even better, so don't go insulting her. Otherwise, you'll regret it", she shouted.

"Oh, I'm so scared", Gary mocked.

May shot him a death glare, then looked towards her sisters. May knew she was supposed to keep a low profile, but she was not going to stand around welcoming the insults. They saw her fierce eyes, and nodded at her. They knew what she wanted- to beat these boys, badly- and they knew that no one insulted one of their pokemon without suffering the consequences. These boys were about to be humiliated.

"Well then, _boys,_" May spat out, "You have the first move."

They paused for a moment before taking her up on that offer.

"Flygon, up, then steel wing!" Drew commanded.

Ash followed with a, "Fly up, too, Staraptor. Then use wing attack!"

"Ursaring, focus blast at Wartortle", called Paul.

May quickly retaliated with a barrage of her commands. "Venusaur, use vine whip to launch Skitty up into the air, then use razor leaf at Nidoqueen. Beautifly catch Skitty. Then use blizzard, Skitty, and combine it with Beautifly's psychic. Wartortle- withdraw!"

May's pokemon were quick to follow their trainer's orders. After jumping onto Beautifly's back, Skitty sent a blizzard towards Flygon and Staraptor, and Beautifly's added psychic intensified the attack, which was hurtling towards their opponents. Ash and Drew's pokemon were forced to dodge if they didn't want to suffer damage.

Back on the ground, Ursaring ran towards Wartortle with its fist glowing, prepared for a focus blast. Wartortle quickly retracted into its shell to avoid the attack. When Ursaring's fist made contact with Wartortle's shell, the latter pokemon sustained some damage, but not much.

"Nidoqueen, use poison sting to counter the razor leaf!" The glowing, purple darts were sent towards the razor leaf, cancelling both attacks out.

"Flygon, use sand tomb on Skitty!" Flygon controlled the ground around Skitty, circling it around the Pokemon. May, knowing the effectiveness of this attack, quickly retaliated.

"Beautifly, use psychic on the sand!" It became a battle of control between Flygon and Beautifly. Who would last the longest? Eventually, Flygon gave up, and released its hold on the ground.

"Venusaur, use vine whip and aim one at Ursaring's legs, and the other at Nidoqueen's."

Paul simply called out, "Secret power." Venusaur was forced to dodge to avoid Ursaring's attack.

"Staraptor- aerial ace at Venusaur!" The bird-like pokemon dived towards the ground at break-neck speed, and flew closer and closer towards Venusaur.

"Frenzy plant!" May cried. Thick, thorn-like vines appeared from the earth, and Staraptor had to carefully evade each one of them, forcing it to give up on aerial ace and focus on flying around the plants.

While Venusaur was occupied with frenzy plant, Paul ordered Ursaring to attack. "Secret power!" Glowing orbs of power were sent towards Venusaur.

May, knowing that Venusaur couldn't defend itself, commanded Wartortle to help it out. "Rapid spin around Venusaur, Wartortle!" As Wartortle spun around the seed-pokemon, its shell deflected the multiple spheres of secret power.

"Nice job Wartortle. Now, use hydro pump on Nidoqueen and Ursaring!" This move kept the two respective pokemon busy, forcing them to pay attention on dodging rather than attacking. "Venusaur- switch to solar beam. Beautifly, string shot to Staraptor's right!"

Staraptor flew left to dodge the string shot, just as May predicted. "Skitty- assist to Staraptor's left!" From Skitty's paw, a vine whip appeared. Skitty sent it wrapping around Staraptor, catching it off guards. "Now Venusaur! Unleash your solar beam!"

"Saur!" With a cry, the pokemon sent the powerful beam of light towards Staraptor, rendering it unconscious.

"Staraptor is unable to battle!"

Ash gaped at May. He silently returned Staraptor, said 'good-luck' to the guys, then walked to the sidelines.

However, no one was watching Flygon, so it was all too easy for Drew to call out, "Flamethrower!" The stream of fire hit Venusaur dead on, as it was too tired to move after solar beam. This left the pokemon unconscious as well.

"Venusaur is unable to battle."

May returned her pokemon, silently thanking it. She was not worried about the loss though. In fact, it just fueled her on even further.

_One down, three to go_.

XxxxX

"Nidoqueen, poison sting at Beautifly!" Gary commanded.

Paul also ordered, "Secret power."

The two attacks shot towards Beautifly, forcing it to fly up to dodge. However, Flygon was already prepared, and was flying towards Beautifly.

"Steel wing, Flygon." The mystic pokemon's wings glowed silver, and it crashed directly into Beautifly. May's pokemon sustained lots of damage, but that did not deter May.

"Morning sun, Beautifly!" The pokemon soaked up the sun's rays, healing itself. This caused Drew's eyebrows to rise. For a girl, she had trained her Beautifly quite well. _A coordinator, by the looks of it…_ He shook his head, cursing himself for becoming distracted.

"Part 1 of Ice-Blast Formation!" May cried. This left Gary, Paul, and Drew slightly worried. They had no idea what this formation was, so they couldn't prepare themselves for it.

Wartortle sent out an ice-beam, and Skitty a blizzard. Then, Beautifly sent out a psychic, sending the mixed attack at breakneck speed. May knew that the move would cause tons of damage if it made contact with the boys' pokemon.

Paul seemed to know this too, for he called out, "Hyper Beam!" Ursaring sent a jet of orange energy towards the formation, cancelling it out.

"Part 2!" May ordered. This left the boys worried; if part 1 was powerful, how would they deal with part 2?

Skitty and Wartortle sent out the same attacks as before, but this time, Beautifly sent out a silver wind. The silver wind urged the ice attacks faster, and the combination glowed with intensity. Flygon and Nidoqueen were just able to dodge it, but Ursaring, rendered immobile from Hyper Beam, wasn't as lucky. Part 2 of the Ice-Blast Formation landed a direct hit on the pokemon, knocking it out.

"Ursaring is unable to battle."

To say Paul was shocked would be an understatement. No one _ever_ beat Paul. Yet this _girl_ just did. He silently seethed as he recalled Ursaring, and stomped over to where Ash stood.

_Two down, two to go_.

XxxxX

Drew and Gary were equally as shocked as Paul. He was supposedly the best trainer at the Battle Tower. They vowed to beat this _girl_.

"Nidoqueen, use Earthquake!" As the ground began to shake violently, Flygon was unaffected, seeing as it never really touched the ground. Skitty was on Beautifly's back, evading the attack as well. This left Wartortle.

"Rapid spin into water pulse!" issued May. The rapid spin allowed Wartortle to spin around in the air. When water started raining over the battlefield, the earth became muddy, rendering earthquake useless.

"Flygon, sandstorm!" Drew commanded. Once again, Beautifly was able to fly out of range, bringing Skitty along with it. Wartortle, however, was not as lucky. It was caught in the sandstorm. "Add in Dragonbreath!" The green-fire, along with the sandstorm, became too much for Wartortle, and it was rendered unconscious.

"Wartortle is unable to battle."

May returned her pokemon, thanking it as she did. _Just a double battle now_, she told herself.

XxxxX

"Skitty, use blizzard towards Nidoqueen!"

"Quick, Nidoqueen- dodge then use mega punch." Nidoqueen was able to dodge the attack, and rammed its fist into Skitty, forcing it to take on damage.

This enraged May. _How dare they hurt my poor Skitty._ That Gary Oak was gonna pay. "This is for you, Leaf!"

"Aerial ace, Beautifly." Rather than fly towards Nidoqueen, Beautifly went the opposite direction. At this, Gary laughed, thinking that it missed its target. However, the aerial ace was simply used to pick up Skitty.

"Assist at Nidoqueen!" From Skitty's glowing paw came a razor leaf. _Perfect_. "Beautifly, combine silver wind with the razor leaf!" The two attacks fused together, and the leaves doubled in speed and power. They hurtled too quickly for Nidoqueen to dodge, resulting in its doom.

"Nidoqueen is unable to battle!"

Never in a million years would Gary be able to fathom how a _girl_ beat him. He cursed as he returned Nidoqueen, clapped Drew on the back, and joined the other two on the sides.

_Three down, one to go_.

XxxxX

When Beautifly and Skitty made a combination, May once again forgot about Flygon.

"Flamethrower into dragonbreath!" Drew commanded. Two streams of power, one red, one green, came from Flygon's mouth. They twisted around each other, one adding to the others' power.

"Hurry Skitty- jump off of Beautifly's back. Beautifly, use gust!" The butterfly pokemon desperately used gust to hopefully break apart Flygon's attack, but to no avail. Once the combined attacks hit, Beautifly was no longer able to battle.

"Beautifly is unable to battle."

May returned her beloved pokemon, kissing the pokeball. Now it was a regular battle. Skitty glanced back at her, and May nodded confidently. They would win this, easily.

Her girls cheered May on. "Come on! Make us proud!" they yelled.

"Come on Drew!" yelled Ash. "All that's left is the puny Skitty. It's nothing."

Drew answered, "Don't worry. This Skitty and its weak trainer have nothing on me and Flygon."

May felt her anger rise, but she refused to let it show. She simply cocked an eyebrow and said, "Bring it on, Hayden."

_Let's do this_, May thought.

XxxxX

"Flygon- use sand tomb!" The sand quickly surrounded Skitty, trapping it neck down. It struggled to free itself, but to no avail. May started worrying slightly, while Drew simply flicked his fringe and smirked.

"Steel wing."

May needed to act fast if she was to help Skitty. "Skitty, can you move your head?"

"Ngew", Skitty responded, which meant a yes.

"Use blizzard while rotating your head!" Skitty took a deep breath then released a blizzard all around her, surrounding herself with blizzard. Flygon was moving too fast to dodge, causing it to fly head-on into the blizzard. It sustained copious amounts of damage, seeing as Flygons are extremely vulnerable to ice-type attacks.

However, the blizzard took a lot out of Skitty, and she was breathing rather heavily. Drew took advantage of its weakness and ordered, "Steel wing!" This time, the attack was successful, and Flygon landed a direct hit on Skitty. Skitty suffered lots of damage, but at the same time, the steel wing hit Skitty with so much force that it was knocked out of the sand tomb. May saw this and quickly formulated a plan in her mind.

Drew was getting cocky. "Finish off this weak pokemon with dragon breath, Flygon." As the attack hurtled towards Skitty, May quickly ordered Skitty to attack.

"Please, Skitty. Use assist!" Hoping for a vine whip, May was only a slight bit disappointed when she saw a silver wind coming from Skitty's paw. _We can work with that._

Dragon breath was coming closer and closer by the second and May had to act fast. "Skitty, combine your blizzard with the silver wind!" Skitty was exhausted, but tried her hardest to come up with a blizzard. What appeared was a weak blast of snow.

"Come on Skitty! I know you can do this! We have to prove those boys wrong! Prove to them that you're anything but weak!" May cheered Skitty on, putting all her faith into it.

Skitty felt May's trust and determination, and it was enough to create a powerful blizzard. Once combined with the silver wind, the two attacks fused together, creating a beam of ice and air, blue and silver. Flygon, not suspecting an attack of this magnitude, was unable to dodge the combination, and was hit head-on by the power attack. The super-effective combination left Flygon unconscious.

"Flygon is unable to battle. The win goes to the challenger. Congratulations!" yelled the referee.

The audience was speechless. Not a single one of them expected May to beat their beloved trainers. It was just not possible. And yet…this girl did it. She actually beat them. When the audience fully realized this fact, they all stood and cheered for the girl, stamping their feet and clapping their hands.

Drew just stood there, unable to move. There was no way that that _girl _and her Skitty were able to beat his Flygon and him. He watched her walk up to her pokemon, pick it up, and hug it. The Skitty seemed tired, yet content.

"I could not be any more proud of you, Skitty. Thank you. You deserve a good, long rest." With that, May returned her pokemon. Before walking back to her sisters, May walked up to Flygon, who was on the ground, too weak to stand up. She patted it on the head, and said 'thank you'. During this entire ordeal, Drew was watching. Then, she walked back to her sisters. She didn't need to walk far, however, for the three girls were sprinting towards her, and crushed her in a hug.

"That was amazing May!" fawned Dawn.

Leaf exclaimed, "Yeah! It was so intense. But we knew you were going to win anyway."

Misty was the last to say something. "You won't be able to blend in any longer, but that's okay, seeing as you taught those boys a lesson."

May laughed. "Thanks you guys. I really owe it up to my pokemon though."

The boys, on the other hand, were sore from their defeat. They refused to believe that they had been beaten by a girl.

"She probably rigged this battle", said Gary. "Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to beat us."

"Definitely", Ash agreed.

They were about to complain some more, but then they saw the four girls walk towards them. They quickly stood up and confronted the four.

"Are we 'initiated' now?" asked Dawn.

"Not quite", Gary began. "You three," he pointed at Dawn, Misty, and Leaf, "are all set. But you", he pointed at May, "have some nerve cheating your way through the battle."

"Cheating?" May cried. "I didn't need to cheat to beat you guys."

"But you did", Drew said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have won."

"How could I have cheated?" When there was no response, May gave a smug nod. "I did not cheat, and you _boys_ know it. Just because you can't handle a loss, doesn't mean you have to lie about it. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to speak with the Dean." With that, May turned around, and was about to walk away when she felt a hand grab her shoulder. She quickly turned around and found that the hand belonged to the grasshead, Drew. She quickly smacked the hand off her shoulder.

"Don't you _dare_ touch me, Hayden." She sent a death glare at him, then stalked away towards the building.

As Paul watched May stalk off, he muttered 'pathetic'. Dawn, with her sharp ears, heard this, and was instantly face-to-face with him.

"You will _not_ call my sister pathetic, because you know that she is anything but. You will learn your place", she said quite forcefully.

"_My_ place?" he scoffed. "Excuse me, Troublesome, but I am of higher rank than you at this school", he said with a smirk.

Dawn retaliated. "That may be true, but my sister is now of the highest popularity, seeing as she beat all four of you." It was Dawn's turn to smirk. Then she cheerfully said, "Have a nice day!" She was then off bounding after May. Misty and Leaf, who had watched the whole argument, cast smirks towards the boys, then followed Dawn and May.

The boys were left standing there, stunned at the audacity the girls had to speak to them like that. Never had they ever met girls like them.

"Wait," Ash began, "did we ever learn that girl's name?"

Gary responded. "Of course we did, Ashy-boy."

"Oh yeah? What is it then?" Ash countered.

The boys raked their minds, but came up short. Whoever this girl was, she was a mystery. All these girls were, and the boys loved a good mystery.

As Paul, Ash, and Gary walked in the opposite direction of the girls, Drew remained still for a fraction of a second longer. He thought to himself, _whoever you are, I _will_ figure you out. _With that, he turned around and quickly joined the other three.

XxxxX

**Ha, Drew was so wrong in that last chapter. And it seems like we've got a smidge of DawnxPaul and MayxDrew action. ;) After all, this is a contestshipping fanfic. Paul even gave Dawn her nickname. Hope you liked it!** **R&R!**


	6. Chapter 6

**General POV**

As May, Dawn, Leaf, and Misty maneuvered through the halls towards the Dean's office, they heard whispers from the students around them. They were all gossiping about the new girls, and how powerful they are. Of course, they girl didn't need to hear the students talking about them; they could just listen in on their thoughts.

_I wish I could be like here…_ thought one girl they walked past.

_Damn, these new girls are hot. Especially that one in the green._ The girls all looked at Leaf and cocked their eyebrows. Leaf, in turn, just shrugged.

Finally, they reached the office. They walked up to the secretary, then Dawn said, "We're here to see the Dean."

"Of course. Names?" the secretary asked.

"Misty, May, Dawn, and Leaf."

"Last names?"

"Not necessary", Misty said. Before the secretary could ask any annoying questions, she followed up with, "He'll already know us. Just tell him our first names."

The secretary looked suspiciously at the girls, but did as told. She mouthed some words into the phone, then pursed her lips at the response she received. "The Dean will see you now."

The girls then paraded into the office and sat down in the chairs in front of them. Behind a desk was an again man, probably around his mid-60s. He had white hair and moustache, and had a no-nonsense expression on his face. He waited for the girls to sit down before speaking.

"Hello, ladies", the Dean began. "I understand that you're here for a mission, as Mark told me. Do what you need to do here, and try not to disturb the peace…too much. That's all I ask." The girls nodded when they heard this. "Here are your schedules. Some of you have trainer schedules, others have coordinator schedules." The Dean then handed each girl a schedule.

"Each day begins at 8:00. You have five minutes between each period to get to your next class. Even though you are Mark's children, I expect you to abide by the rules of the school. Understand?"

The girls nodded.

"Good. Since you had to talk to me, just report to your second period class when the time comes. You are dismissed."

As May, Misty, Leaf, and Dawn got up, they turned at the sound of the Dean's voice.

"Oh, and one more thing- good luck."

They simply nodded at the man, then filed out of the office. As soon as they were out, they looked at their schedules.

_Misty: Trainer Schedule_

_0- Homeroom_

_ Room 217, Professor Winona_

_1- AP Offensive Strategies. _

_ Room 133, Professor Wake_

_2- Work Period_

_ Gymnasium I_

_3- AP Defensive Strategies_

_ Room 105, Professor Byron_

_4- Work Period_

_ Gymnasium I_

_5- Lunch_

_6- Water-Type Pokemon_

_ Pool, Professor Juan_

_7- Self-Defense_

_ Gymnasium II, Professor Maylene_

"Yes!", she exclaimed, "Water-type pokemon! Maybe I'll actually learn something here!" Her sisters just laughed at her.

_Leaf: Trainer Schedule_

_0- Homeroom_

_ Room 217, Professor Winona_

_1- AP Defensive Strategies_

_ Room 105, Professor Byron_

_2- Work Period_

_ Gymnasium I_

_3- AP Offensive Strategies_

_ Room 133, Professor Wake_

_4- Work Period_

_ Gymnasium I_

_5- Lunch_

_6- Grass-Type Pokemon_

_ East Gardens, Professor Gardenia_

_7- Self-Defense_

_ Gymnasium II, Professor Maylene_

"Sweet! Grass-type pokemon as my elective", Leaf exclaimed.

_May: Trainer/Coordinator Schedule_

_0- Homeroom_

_ Room 217, Professor Winona_

_1- Work Period_

_ Gymnasium I_

_2- AP Offensive Strategies_

_ Room 133, Professor Wake_

_3- AP Appeal Strategies_

_ Room 240, Professor Soledad_

_4- Work Period_

_Gymnasium I_

_5- Lunch_

_6- AP Coordinating Strategies_

_ Room 222, Professor Fantina_

_7- Self-Defense_

_ Gymnasium II, Professor Maylene_

"Alright, will someone enlighten me as to why I'm a trainer AND a coordinator here?" asked May, quite confused.

"Maybe Mark decided that you need work in both areas", Dawn joked. The girls laughed, including May.

"Dawn, if anyone needs work, just look in a mirror", teased May.

Dawn mock-pouted, then giggled. She looked down at the paper in front of her to see her schedule for the year.

_Dawn: Coordinator Schedule_

_0- Homeroom_

_ Room 217, Professor Winona_

_1- AP Coordinator Battling Strategies_

_ Room 201, Professor Wallace_

_2- Work Period_

_ Gymnasium I_

_3- AP Appeal Strategies_

_ Room 240, Professor Soledad_

_4-Work Period_

_ Gymnasium I_

_5- Lunch_

_6- Battling Strategies_

_ Room 115, Professor Brandon_

_7- Self-Defense_

_ Gymnasium II, Professor Maylene_

"Battling Strategies! What?" Dawn shrieked. "There's no way!"

"Ha. Told you you need work in both area", May laughed.

"Calm down, Dawn. Mark probably put you in that class for a reason", Misty said, trying to reason with her shocked sister.

"Come on, you guys. We better go to second period. The bell will ring soon", Leaf said. When she said this, May looked put out.

"Fine… You guys go on ahead to the gym while I get to walk myself down to offensive strategies", sighed May.

"Aww, May, don't be like that. You'll see me third period!" Dawn said.

"I guess… Bye you guys!" With that, May began walking towards room 133, and Leaf, Dawn, and Misty walked down towards Gymnasium I.

XxxxX

May sat in her desk, bored out of her mind. This class was seriously a joke. And the fact that she had no one to talk to made her situation all the more worse. _Sigh… I wonder how the others are doing. Maybe I should contact them… Nah, won't bother them_.

She gazed around the room for the hundredth time even though she had memorized where everything was the moment she walked in. This time, however, she noticed a boy staring at her. He had white hair and a bandana, and he smiled at May then faced forward once more.

_Sweet! She noticed me!_, May heard from his mind.

She quickly gathered from the way he held himself that he was on the popular side, but nowhere near as popular as the boys they met this morning. Just thinking about them made May glare at the desk in front of her. All well. Maybe she'd make a friend today…

XxxxX

**Back in Gymnasium I…**

Misty, Dawn, and Leaf immediately let a few of their pokemon out once reaching the gym, seeing as they had nothing to 'work' on. They sat idly on the bleachers, watched their pokemon play, and talked about their next course of action.

"Well, we've met the boys now", Dawn started.

"Yeah. Now what do we do? Personally, I don't want to befriend them just yet. So maybe, watch from afar?" Leaf suggested.

"I guess so. But that may be a tad bit difficult", Misty said.

Dawn asked, "Why is that?"

"Because they're headed this way", Misty darkly responded.

Ash, Paul, Gary, and Drew took their sweet time swaggering toward the three girls, walking as if they owned the world. _They like really stupid walking like that_, Dawn thought to her sisters.

_Agreed_, Leaf responded.

_How stupid do they like? _May asked. Even though she was in a totally different place, nothing would stop her from trying to rid herself of boredom.

Misty sent a mental picture of the boys to May.

_Oh, _May thought, _they look absolutely ridiculous. _She almost giggled out loud at the sight of it.

_You are so lucky that you aren't here, May_, Leaf added with a sigh.

_I know. _

XxxxX

When the boys finally reached Leaf, Dawn, and Misty, they sat down in front of them, not caring if they invaded the girls' space.

"Excuse me, but do you mind?" snapped Dawn, her comment directed towards a purple-haired boy who sat on the seat directly above her.

"Not at all", was Paul's clipped reply.

"Well, I do. So please leave."

Meanwhile, Leaf and Gary were having their own little spat.

"You know, gorgeous, you looked pretty attractive during our battle. Why don't we get together some time?"

Leaf looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm fine, thanks." Then she quickly turned to engage Dawn in a conversation, and said girl eagerly took the opportunity to ignore Paul. Gary, however, looked affronted. Never had a girl rejected him! As Gary turned his shocked gaze onto Drew, the latter just smirked, and gave Gary a _this-is-how-it's-done_ look. He suavely sauntered up to Leaf, took out a white rose and said, "For you." Leaf stared at it cautiously, then plucked it from Drew's hands, thanking him. Drew, in turn, sent a victorious smirk towards Gary. However, once Leaf took it from Drew's hands, she turned around and offered it to her Tropius, who quickly gobbled it up, causing Dawn to giggle. The look on Drew's face was priceless. Never had a girl _not_ treasured one of his roses. This caused Gary to smirk back at Drew. During this entire, almost silent, exchange, Paul just sat there with an indifferent expression on his face.

Misty and Ash, on the other hand, were hitting it off quite well. Apparently, Ash wasn't a sore lose and didn't care that Misty had beat him in their battle. They were discussing what they would do if it was a battle between Misty's Golduck vs. Ash's Pikachu. The other 5 people present stared openly at Ash and Misty, evidently surprised to see them talking without fighting.

"What?" Ash asked once he saw the expressions on his friends' faces.

"Why are you talking to her? She's the one who rigged your battle earlier today, remember?" Gary said, hopefully bringing Ash out of his stupor.

"Excuse me, Oak, but I did not cheat. Even ask your friend Ash here, he'll tell you." All turned and stared at Ash.

Said boy was twiddling his thumbs, not knowing how to respond. He didn't want to lie, but he had a reputation to uphold!

"Well, uh, uh…," Ash sputtered, "You see…Alright! I confess! Misty won, fair and square. Please don't hurt me!" The boys gave Ash astounded looks, then they shook their heads, not wanting to believe it when Ash said that Misty had actually played fairly.

Misty, on the other hand, regarded the boys with glares. "See? There you have it", she said coolly.

"Are those your pokemon, gorgeous?" Gary inquired. A Bellossom and Chikorita were scampering around each other, having a friendly game of chase.

"I have a name you know. And yes, they are", Leaf responded.

"Well, I think gorgeous suits you just fine", he responded, quite suavely.

"And I think you need to get real." With that, Leaf bounded down the bleachers towards her pokemon.

"That's my girl", Dawn said.

Paul grumbled out, "Shut it, Troublesome."

"Hey!", Dawn huffed, "I have a name too, you know!"

Paul cocked an eyebrow at her. "Think I care?"

"Well, you should!" she said, turning red with anger. Paul, however, didn't respond. He just zoned her out, which only added to Dawn's anger. She decided to follow Leaf rather than waste time over that asshole. She too went down towards her Buneary and Pachirisu.

Drew saw a perfect opening. "Speaking of names, what is that other girl's name? You know, the other brunette", he asked Misty.

She turned toward him casually and said, "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"Well, she's not here right now."

"Well that's your problem, isn't it?" she responded with a smirk. With that, she joined her other two sisters at ground level, and headed towards her Corsola and Starmie.

The boys were left by themselves as the girls returned their pokemon. Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of second period. Drew headed in the opposite direction of this friends, seeing as his classroom was in a different direction than theirs. As Leaf, Misty, and Dawn walked out the doors together, Ash, Paul, and Gary stared at the back of their heads. Each had the same thought in his head: _I have never met a girl like her_.

XxxxX

**THIRD PERIOD**

As Misty and Leaf went towards their respective rooms, Dawn went to the second level to Room 240. She was happy to not have to go into this class alone, for May would be there. Sure enough, just as she was about to enter the room, she heard May call her name.

"Hey Dawn!"

"Hey! How was second period?", Dawn asked.

"Incredibly boring. I can't believe that I have to be in that class for this whole year", May complained.

"Well, at least you can look forward to this class with me!"

May laughed, "Of course."

Together, the two entered the room together. They saw a tall woman with peach colored hair and blue eyes whom they dubbed Professor Soledad. The room was quite large, with a mini-stage at the front. The disks formed a semi-circle around the room, leaving plenty of space in the middle. As May and Dawn chose two seats, the bell rang. Just as it did, however, a certain green-haired person suavely made his way into the room and sat in the desk to May's right, seeing as it was the only open one left. May made a disgruntled noise, and made a point of turning her desk slightly towards Dawn.

"Hello class. I understand that we have two new students today. Would you two please stand up and say your names?" said Professor Soledad.

"Hi! I'm Dawn!" said the bluenette, quite energetically.

"And I'm May!" said May with a smile on her face.

"Welcome, Dawn and May. This, as you well know, is AP Appeal Strategies. My name is Professor Soledad." May and Dawn respectfully nodded at her. "Earlier this week, we were discussing appeals with water-type moves. So, class, water is a beautiful element, and is often used…." May and Dawn immediately zoned her out and began have a conversation in their heads, along with Leaf and Misty, who they assumed were equally as bored.

_You know, we should start the mission today, so we can get out of this school as soon as we can_, Leaf started.

_True, true_, thought Misty. _Why don't we start with bugging their rooms?_

May interjected. _Yeah, but don't forget, they're part of Kroloy, meaning they'll know if we enter their rooms if we aren't too careful._

_Aren't we _always _careful? _Dawn added, a little teasingly.

_I guess…_ May thought.

_So it's decided then. One o'clock tonight?_ Leaf asked.

"That's a good question. What do you think, May?" said Professor Soledad.

May quickly switched from her mental conversation to the one at hand. "While water-pulse is a very attractive move, aqua jet can be beneficial too, seeing as the water is surrounding the pokemon, drawing the audience's attention to it." She smiled smugly at Drew, then went back to her conversation with her sisters.

XxxxX

**Drew's POV**

Damn, thought I had her when I asked her that question. She looked like she had dozed off, and I thought this definitely would've embarrassed her. She's…competent, I'll give her that. At least I figured out her name- May. Ehhhh. A bit on the boring side.

XxxxX

**General POV**

_Sorry, that jerk asked me a question_, May growled.

_Which jerk? You have plenty to choose from! There's Gary, Ash, Paul, Drew…_ offered Leaf.

_It's Drew_, Dawn supplied.

_Oh. _That _jerk. _Misty thought.

_Dawn, let's trade seats tomorrow. You chose him didn't you? _May suggested.

_Hmmm. He's pretty attractive…. Sure! _Dawn agreed.

_Is that all you care about? _Misty teased.

_No, but it's certainly a contributing factor_, Dawn replied.

_Anyway. Back to the previous topic. One, tonight? _Leaf asked.

_Ehhh, nothing better to do_, said Misty.

Dawn mock pouted. _Except sleep. But I guess I can go one night without my beauty rest._

_What a huge sacrifice!_, May teased.

_I know! The things I do for you guys…_ sighed Dawn.

_You'll get over it_, the other three chorused.

**Briiing! **That was the bell, signaling the end of third period.

As May stood up, she was roughly pushed aside by a herd of giggling girls. She jumped to the side to avoid another herd rushing towards her general direction. These girls were literally fighting tooth and nail to get to the front, to be closest to Drew. When May realized this, she simply rolled her eyes at the scene. As she peered at the grass-head, she saw him flick his fringe and smirked at the girls. When he did so, the girls simultaneously squealed and tried even harder to reach him. As Drew's eyes met May's, he cocked an eyebrow at her, obviously saying: _jealous?_. In response, May just snorted and walked out of the classroom with Dawn.

XxxxX

**Fourth Period**

"Finally!" Misty exclaimed. "A period that we all share!"

"I know! It's great! I can relax and not want to tear out my previous hair", said Dawn, subconsciously petting her navy hair.

"Relaxing sounds nice, you know-", said May, right before they were cut off by a shriek.

"KYA! THERE THEY ARE GIRLS. GET THEM!" A huge herd came into the gymnasium, sprinting after a group of four boys. These boys, obviously used to their fangirls, simply sighed and tried to evade the crazy herd of squealing girls.

At first, May, Misty, Leaf, and Dawn tried zoning out the girls, but to no avail; they were just too shrill.

"May, will you do something to shut them up? I don't care if you have to kill them all. Just make them go away", complained Dawn.

May sighed, then enlarged a pokeball. "Wartortle! Take the stage!" The blue, turtle-like pokemon appeared in front of the girls. "Tortle!" "Would you please use hydro pump over everyone in the gym?" "Wartortle!" It jumped up, then sprayed water over everyone, soaking them from head to toe. All the squealing girls shrieked, obviously enraged by the fact that they were dripping wet. They immediately began fussing over their hair and sprinted to the closest bathrooms. The other boys, excluding the four elites of the school, simply shrugged and continued to do what they were doing before.

However, Drew, Paul, Ash, and Gary, while glad the fangirls were gone, weren't taking being wet all too well. They stomped over to where the girls were lounging on the bleachers.

"You got our clothes wet", growled Gary.

"Very astute of you to notice", Leaf shot back.

"Apologize", said Paul.

Dawn smirked. "Awww. Can't take a little water?" Paul just scowled in response.

"Of course we can," Drew interjected, "we just don't really appreciate it."

"Sorry. Would you like me to dry them for you?" asked May, sweetly with a smile on her face.

"That would be ideal", said Drew, glad that she had learned her place to respect him.

"Hand them over then", she said with a smirk. The guys just stood there, not knowing what to say, obviously not going to take their clothes off. Paul attempted to look indifferent, Ash looked at the ceiling, Gary cocked an eyebrow at no one in particular, and Drew flicked his fringe, which failed, seeing as his hair was entirely wet. The girls, on the other hand, laughed at how awkward they were.

"Alrighty. Bye!" Dawn chirped as she, Leaf, Misty, and Dawn sidled away. Right then, as if the girls had predicted it, the bell rang, allowing them to leave the gym, and effectively, leave the boys.

XxxxX

Lunch went by too fast. It was the only period where the girls weren't bothered by anyone or thing. However, it passed by quickly, and the bell signaling the end of fifth period came all too soon.

"I really don't want to go to Battling Strategies", whined Dawn. "I'd rather be with May in AP Coordinating Strategies."

"Sorry Dawn," Misty said, "but we can't always get what we went." She said this in a dark tone, obviously having a deeper meaning to it. The girls caught it, and went silent for a moment or two.

"Well, maybe you'll learn something!" said Leaf, hoping to cheer her up.

May nodded. "Besides, after this period, we'll have last period together for you to look forward to!"

"I guess", replied Dawn, but she still had a pout on her face. "Better get going then…"

XxxxX

**SEVENTH PERIOD**

As May entered Room 222, she immediately wanted to punch someone, for, yet again, a pack of giggling girls was present, giving May a huge headache. Thankfully, she was saved by the teacher.

"Hello everyone! We have a new student in this class today! Her name is May, and we will treat her with the utmost respect! Now, today is Monday, which means that we're going to prepare for this week's contest!" All around the room, people started chatting about the contest amongst themselves, obviously excited to start. "This week's contest is a tag-team contest. I would like you to choose a partner. By the end of today's class, I need a paper with your two names and the pokemon you will be using. Tomorrow will be a planning day for appeals. Go go go!"

May just sat there, not knowing who she wished to work with. Being the new popular girl, many were trying to gather up the guts to talk to her while all the fangirls immediately flocked around Drew.

"Oh Drew, please let me tag with you!"

"You're my idol. Please!"

"I love you, Mr. Drew! Just this once!"

Drew simply flicked his fringe, obviously used to the attention. Then he shook his head, leaving all the girls with feelings of disappointment. After sulking and crying for about two minutes, the fangirls paired up with people from within their group.

"Miss May, I see that you are without a partner. And Monsieur Drew doesn't have one either", Professor Fantina exclaimed. "It has been decided- you two will work together." She said this loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. May and Drew shot each other glares, and if looks could kill, both would be dead in a heartbeat.

"I really must protest", Drew started.

The professor shook her head. "It's final."

Drew and May begrudgingly got together to decide which pokemon to use. However, Drew, being the arrogant jerk he was, decided for the both of them.

"I will use my Masquerain while you use your Wartortle."

May wanted to protest, but she decided to not make a scene and draw more attention than necessary. In clipped tones she asked, "Why is there a tag-team contest being held anyway?"

Drew looked at her like she was stupid. "Oh, I forgot. You're a newbie so you wouldn't know anything." He smirked when he saw May turning red with anger. "The Battle Tower helps develops the skills of trainers and coordinators. On every Friday, each class holds its own contest or gym-like battle. For the Autumn Ball, there are two Kings and two Queens. One pair is the comprised of two coordinators who work the best together, and likewise for the other pair but with trainers."

"Gotcha", was all May said.

"I wonder who I will be going with this year, seeing as I'm going to be one of the two kings", he pondered aloud.

"And how to you know you'll be king?"

"Cause I always am. Besides, I'm the best coordinator here. There's no way anyone can beat me", he said arrogantly while flicking his fringe.

May scoffed. "Well, Mr. Overconfident, hate to burst your bubble, but who beat you this morning?"

He scowled. "That was a fluke, and you know it. Besides, we weren't having a contest."

"Excuses, excuses", May sung out.

"I bet you would fall flat on your face in a contest", Drew taunted. "I don't know why I'm stuck with you as a partner. You're just gonna make me look bad."

"I'll hold you to that", was all she said before turning away from him. When the bell rang, she walked up to Professor Fantina, handed her their slip of paper, and walked out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey you guys! Sorry about the lateness of this update! Things were kinda hectic with finals and all. But hopefully now that summer's here, updates will be more frequent. Hopefully. Anyway, enjoy! And, like always, read and review!**

**I don't own pokemon **

**XxxxX**

_12:15 a.m._

Each of the girls got dressed in their stealth uniform: black under armor top and leggings, black, fingerless gloves, and black knee-high boots. Leaf remembered how they came to wear these shoes.

_Flashback_

"_Pretty please?" asked Dawn. She sported puppy dog eyes and her navy eyes sparkled with forced tears._

"_No." Misty said, upright refusing to wear those offending things._

"_But they're so cute!"_

_Misty stood her ground. "They aren't functional or comfortable, and they're not good at all for missions."_

"_They can be if you let them! Just try them out! PLEASE!", Dawn begged, kicking up the puppy dog eyes._

_Misty was usually unfazed by Dawn's begging face, but this time, she had to give in. "Fine," she sighed, "I'll try them out once. If they work, we'll keep them. If not, we toss them. Deal?". Dawn nodded happily and grabbed her sister in a crushing hug._

"_Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she sang._

_It was safe to say that Misty liked the boots._

_End Flashback_

Dawn finished lacing up her boots, then went to work on her hair. She took out a can of washable hair-dye and sprayed it over her locks. Before her, her beautiful pelt turned black. Dawn really hated dying her hair black, but it was necessary. _Doesn't mean I have to like it…_ she thought.

_Complaining about your hair again? _May asked.

_Maybe…_, Dawn replied.

_Hurry up you guys_, said Leaf. _Meet down in the planning room in 10._

Dawn hurried to finish her hair. As soon as all the dye dried, she gathered her hair into a ponytail and used a hairtie to tie it in place. Finally, she took out a black bandana and tied it right below her eyes, masking the lower portion of her face, leaving only the eyes visible. She then walked up to her full-length mirror to make sure everything was in place.

_Even now I have to admit that these outfits make us look sexy_, she mused. _Must be the boots._

With a final look at her reflection, Dawn bounded down the stairs to meet up with her sisters.

XxxxX

"Finally", said Misty. "Took you long enough".

Dawn pouted. "I can't help it if I try to look my best."

"Anyway," Leaf cut in before they got sidetracked, "we have to discuss what we're doing tonight." She turned on the projector and cast onto the wall was a blueprint of the boys' mansion. "Their base is approximately five blocks from here. When we arrive, each of us has to place five sound-recorders in random places around the base. I don't care where they are so long as they aren't wasted. Once we do that, we each have respective places to go to. Misty, you go to the East side, Dawn the West, and May, you go to the North."

"What about you?" Dawn asked.

"I'll be in the South side, taking care of the alarm system. I'll energy source the sound of the alarm into some other form of energy while you guys sneak in. Then, you guys will have some allotted time, I don't know how much yet, to go around the base to stick sound-recorders in every room. Then, you must place a video-camera, not a recorder, but a camera, on the inside door of each of our target's rooms."

Misty said, "I'll take Ash's room."

"And I'll take Drew's", said Dawn.

May sighed. "And I get Paul. But wait, that leaves Gary since Leaf will be manning the alarm system. Who wants him?"

"I'll take him", Misty offered.

"Alright, so it's decided", finished Leaf.

May took over. "There are lasers outside of the base to keep intruders out. We'll let Leaf feel for their energy first before she energy sources the lasers, so stay behind her."

"Ready?" Leaf asked. May, Misty, and Dawn pulled up their bandanas in response. Leaf, in turn, pulled hers up too.

"Let's go."

XxxxX

May, Leaf, Misty, and Dawn ran over to the boys' base. They blended into the shadows and slipped from building to building. They were also incredibly light on their feet, making no sound as they raced over to the mansion.

In about 5 minutes, they reached the base. Leaf stood in front of her sisters and closed her eyes. She felt the pulsing of energy from her sisters behind her, but she ignored this source. She concentrated, and she made out the vibration of another source, one about 20 feet in front of her. She walked up closer to it until she stood right before the laser. Leaf opened up her eyes, and gestured to the others where the laser was. Then, she vaulted over the laser to the other side, and her sisters quickly followed suit, jumping the exact same height as Leaf did. From there, the four split up to hide the recorders.

These recorders were homemade, so there was no identification on them. There was also a tracking device imbedded into the miniscule devices. These recorders were the size of the tip of a pin, making them nearly undetectable.

Misty went to the pool area first. She quickly dove into the water and headed towards the bottom. She breathed underwater as she stuck the recorder, making the operation quick and smooth.

May, on the other hand, went up to the actual 3-story building. Using her mind, she levitated one recorder and stuck it to the first story of the front side. She then raised one to the third story, once again using her telekinesis. Afterward, she retreated to the North side of the building.

_Ready_, May thought.

_Same here_, said Misty.

_Me three_, Dawn added.

_Alright_, Leaf said. _I'm by the South side. I'm about to energy source the sound from the alarm system. Enter from a window and leave from a window. On the count of three. 1…2…3!_

The girls quickly entered the building using a window and rushed to apply recorders to every room. They hurtled around the building, communication telepathically which rooms each had already covered.

_You guys have exactly 120 seconds left_, warned Leaf. She was the only one remaining outside the building. Her concentration was focused on transforming the sound energy from the alarm system into electrical energy and storing it into a battery at her waist. Her power, like all her sisters, weren't very developed, which was why she could only provide them with so much time.

Misty started off with Ash's room. She quickly opened the door, and thankfully, it didn't squeak. Not that it would've mattered because said boy was sleeping like a rock. _This is too easy, _she thought while sticking the camera to the door. Misty then slipped out of Ash's room and traversed across the building to Gary's. She cursed as the door squeaked open, then cautiously entered the room. Gary had stirred a bit, but didn't wake. She applied the camera, opened the window, then jumped out.

_I'm done. Heading over towards Leaf, _she told her sisters.

Meanwhile, May was at Paul's door. His, however, was locked, which forced May to manually unlock it. After unlocking it from her side, she held her breath as a figure in the bed moved. Thankfully, however, Paul had simply turned around in his bed. After applying the camera, she darted out of his room through his window.

_Finished too. How's it coming Dawn?_

**Dawn's POV**

_Finished too. How's it coming Dawn?_

Truth be told, I was freaking out. Why? Because my target was _not_ in his room. I relayed this information to my sisters.

_Not so hot. I don't know where he is. His room's empty._

_Finish your job. I'm heading over there right now, just in case. I'm on the roof as we speak. _I could hear the worry in May's voice.

_20 second_, Leaf warned.

I hurried to stick the camera to the door, then I rushed over to the window. I snapped it up and was about to jump out when I heard a presence behind me.

I turned around and saw a person at the door. My trained eyes made out green hair. _He caught me!_ His face had a surprised look, and I used this opportunity to throw myself out the window.

**May's POV**

_He caught me!, _I heard.

My heart started pounding with worry for my sister, and I doubled my efforts to reach her. I sprinted across the roof and when I reached the edge, I saw Dawn falling through the air. Without a second thought, I vaulted off the roof and dove towards her. As soon as I reached Dawn, I grabbed her and bent my head forward, forcing us to flip in the air.

I heard bullets being shot at us, and I jerked us to the left to dodge them. As soon as we reached the ground, I looked up to see Drew aiming at us.

_You guys, Leaf's out cold. I'm taking her back, _Misty informed.

I commanded, _Dawn, I need you to leave. Now. Get yourself home and safe._

_No!, _she said. _I can handle this!_

I sighed. _There is no time to argue. Use your shadow manipulation to cover yourself as you run. Do it for me. Please_, I begged. More shots were being fired at us, so I roughly shoved Dawn towards the way home. _Go!_

I saw the debate in Dawn's head, and I knew she desperately wanted to stay. _I can't lose someone else, _I told her. Her eyes softened in understanding, and she finally resigned.

_Fine, but you better come home in one piece_. With that, I saw my little sister run off toward home, manipulating the shadows to hide her.

Satisfied, I turned around only to see Drew sailing in the air and land on the ground before me. He quickly pulled the trigger on his gun, but I easily evaded the bullet. His dragon-like eyes narrowed with frustration as he aimed and fired again, but to avail. I decided to end this quickly.

In the blink of an eye, I launched myself up, somersaulting in the air towards him. When I closed up on him I shot my leg out, hitting his head and effectively knocking him out.

**Drew's POV**

This person was annoying and frustrated me. How could he possibly dodge all my bullets? Before I even realized it, though, he was flying above me.

As something connected with the back of my head, pain shot through my body, and the last things I remembered were blue eyes…

**General POV**

May knelt down over her target to check his pulse. Satisfied that he was still alive, she used her telekinesis to put him back into his room. As soon as she was done with that, she rushed back towards 'home'. As soon as she entered the password for the door, May sprinted down to the conference room, worry growing in her stomach. She sighed in relief when she saw all her sisters present. She immediately rushed to Leaf's side.

"How you feeling?" May asked, carefully brushing back her sister's hair.

Leaf smiled weakly. "Never been better." May smiled, though there was still a worry crease present between her eyebrows.

Once May finished talking to Leaf, Dawn started to argue with May. "Why didn't you let me stay and fight? I could have used my shadow manipulation to cover the both of us!"

May shook her head. "You know we're not up to our fullest potential when using our powers. We get weak when using our powers; take Leaf for an example! You would have been drained trying to cover the both of us the entire way back here."

Dawn stubbornly retorted, "But I wanted to fight!"

"You'll get your turn. For now, just work on developing your power."

Misty added, "Besides, the faster you develop your shadow manipulation, the sooner you can accompany May on the difficult missions."

From her seat, Leaf nodded. "It's totally worth it."

"But don't push yourself like this one here", Misty said nudging Leaf.

Dawn sighed. "Fine… But I better go on one of those missions soon."

"We'll see" was all May said. "Anyway, time to call Mark." She turned on the projector to videochat, dialed the number, and sure enough, Mark's face appeared on the screen.

"We have finished applying the spying devices." said Misty.

"Good job girls. Now, I need you to get closer to the targets. Get them to trust you, learn their strengths and weaknesses, you know the drill."

May groaned. _Don't wanna get close to Paul. _Her sisters laughed at that remark.

"This is serious!" barked the man on the screen. "Try to get some information from them about the Kroloy Organization. However, always remember the golden rule: don't-"

"Don't become friends with the enemy. We know", the girls chorused.

Mark nodded, satisfied. "Good. I'll contact you guys later." With that, the screen went black, obviously meaning that Mark had hung up.

"Well," Dawn said, "today was eventful."

"We better get to bed. We have 'school' tomorrow", Misty groaned.

"Joy. Night guys!" May carried Leaf to her room so that her sister wouldn't have to waste any energy. From there, Leaf walked to the shower to wash out the dye, and as soon as she fell on the bed, she was unconscious to the world.

XxxxX

**Drew's POV**

The first thing I noticed was the pulsing pain at the back of my head. I then noticed that I was face-down on the ground, getting a face-full of carpet. _What am I doing on the floor?_ I sat up with a groan, and brushed my fingers across the pain and immediately winced. I sat there for a full minute, dumbly staring at the wall in front of me when I suddenly remembered.

"Shit!" I ran over to the intercom on the wall and spoke into it. "Guys. Meeting. In my room. Now." I began pacing back and forth, waiting for the others to show up. First to come was Paul, then Gary, and finally Ash. All three were yawning and grumbling, obviously displeased that I had woken them up.

"This better be good. _Really_ good, especially considering the fact that you woke us up at 4:30 a.m.", Gary complained.

"It is. Trust me", I said. "Now, there—Ash wake up!" I yelled.

Ash's eyes popped open when he heard the loud noise. "I'm up, I'm up."

"Good. As I was saying, there were people here. About three hours ago. Two of them."

I saw Paul's eyes widen, a rare sight to behold. "Who?"

"I don't know, but they certainly knew what they were doing." I then proceeded to tell them what I knew.

"Did you kill them?" asked Gary.

I averted my eyes. "…no…" I heard a surprised gasp from the guys.

"How did they escape?" asked Ash. "There's no way they beat you; we're Kroloy's best squad!"

"I don't know how they got past me, ok? They were tough. But next time, I'll get them." There was no way I would stand to be humiliated in front of my friends.

"I wonder what they were doing in our house… How did they even get in?" Gary wondered.

"We better keep our guard up", I said. "We'll need to turn on the security cameras now."

"Do you remember anything about these two?" asked Paul.

I shook my head. "I only remember blue eyes…" _Those eyes… They were—_

Gary interrupted my thoughts. "You all right, Drewy-boy?"

I snapped out of it. "Yeah, just a little out of it. Going to bed." Paul grunted in response, and walked out of my room. Ash and Gary quickly followed suit.

I climbed into the bed and winced a little when the back of my head made contact with the pillow, pushing against the tender spot. I then placed a pistol underneath said pillow. I closed my eyes and the thought of blue eyes crept into my mind. Not wanting to think about them, I quickly rolled over and fell into a dreamless sleep.

XxxxX

**Done with this chapter. What'd you guys think? You now know all the girls' powers…almost. Hope you enjoyed it! I love reviews! They make me update faster! *hint hint* Until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ahhh! I'm so sorry! I promised that if I got reviews that I'd update quickly, and I thank you all for the reviews; they were amazing. But I experienced a case of writer's bloc, and it took awhile to sort out. I'm sorry! However, I hope you enjoy this chapter and, like always, R&R!**

**I don't own Pokemon.**

**XxxxX**

**Tuesday, September 29**

The girls woke up easily as sun streamed through their windows despite the fact that they were up till 2 a.m. Dawn was probably the most normal of the group. She spent tons of time making herself presentable by showering, applying make-up, and running a brush through her blue hair for 100 strokes. Misty was a little less normal, but no one would question her when she simply splashed her face with water and put her hair up before making breakfast for the others. Leaf did run a brush through her hair after showering, but unlike most girls her age, she meditated for about a half hour. And then there was May. She was up at six in the morning. She didn't wake up this early for the same reason Dawn did. No, instead, she was up to train. May ran 5 miles around the block, then went to swim laps in the pool by Misty's room. Only after finishing this workout did she go and prepare for the day.

"Misty, what's for breakfast?" May hollered from her room.

Misty responded, "Homemade waffles."

When May heard this, she bolted from her room down to the kitchen, eager to stuff her face with waffles. When she arrived, Leaf was already there covering her waffles with globs of syrup. Dawn, on the other hand, descended the staircase much more gracefully than May did, and ate only one waffle. After eating, they were on their way to the Battle Tower.

**XxxxX**

After Homeroom, May dutifully headed towards her first period class, which was actually a work period in the gymnasium. When she arrived, however, she was surprised to find nearly no one there. The only person she saw, in fact, was the boy with white hair in her second period class. She decided to ask him what was going on.

"Excuse me," she began, "but why is there no one here?"

_She's talking to me. Finally_, she read from his mind. "Umm. You know how this Friday's contest is a tag battle?" May nodded. "Well, today is a day to work with your partner, so you're supposed to head to your partner's class every period."

May smiled and thanked him before walking away. She didn't have to turn around to know that he was happy that she had talked to him.

_Dawn_, she thought. _You have a class with Drew this period, don't you? _

_Yeah_, the bluenette replied shortly.

May then asked, _What class is that? I need to work with that jerk for this tag battle._

_AP Coordinator Battling Strats, Room 201_, was all Dawn said.

_Jeez_, May remarked, _what's gotten you all uptight?_

_I'll tell you later_, was the bluenette's response.

May sighed before heading towards Room 201, and sure enough, her jerk of a partner was there waiting for her.

"Took you long enough", the chartreuse guy said.

May rolled her eyes. "You'll live. So we're supposed to work on our appeals today?"

"Obviously. Now, here's what we're gonna do. Masquerain will come out of his pokeball and…." Drew proceeded to tell May his plan, not caring about her input.

**Meanwhile in Room 133…**

Misty sat in her desk, not really wanting to find a partner for the tag battle that Friday. Lots of people, mostly boys, lined up at her desk wanting to tag with her because she was popular, but she turned them all down. Ash was in a similar situation. Soon, it seemed like everyone had been turned down by either Ash or Misty, except for the two themselves. The two realized this, and somehow, the two silently agreed to tag with each other.

"Hey Mist!", Ash said.

Misty cocked an eyebrow. "Mist?"

"Yeah. It's a nickname."

Misty blinked. No one had given her a nickname since…well, she didn't want to think about it. "What's up Ash?"

"Do you want to tag with me? You're a good trainer and I'm pretty sure we'll win."

"I have to agree with you there", she joked. "Alright, I'll tag with you."

**In Room 105…**

"Girl, do you have a map? Cause I keep getting lost in your eyes", Gary said seductively to a certain brunette.

Said girl simply rolled her green eyes before turning her back towards Gary. Somehow, though, he materialized in front of her, again.

"If beauty was time, you'd be eternity", he tried. Leaf, in turn, simply cocked an eyebrow while giving him a bemused look.

Not to be deterred, Gary tried again. "Are you tired? Because you've been running in my mind all day." After saying this, he flashed her his trademark smirk, knowing that she wouldn't be able to resist. No girls ever could.

"What do you want, Gary?" she sighed.

Gary was shocked! This was the second time that she refused his advances. _Damn_, he thought, _any other girl would have fainted by now_. Coughing to hide his shock, he said, "Well, I noticed that you haven't chosen someone to tag with yet. And neither have I. So I was thinking, we should, you know, tag together." Once again, he flashed the brunette another smirk.

"If I agree, will you stop using those cheesy lines on me?", she asked.

Gary almost growled when she referred to his pickup lines as cheesy. "Fine", he grumbled.

"Fine", she echoed.

**XxxxX**

**Fifth Period- Lunch**

Dawn sat at a table with her sisters, silently brooding over something unknown to the other three. She was ripping her sandwich into shreds. Her sisters looked at each other and played a mental rock-paper-scissors. Misty sighed as she lost.

"Dawn, what's wrong?", she cautiously asked.

Dawn shook her head. "Nothing's wrong! I'm totally fine! No need to worry!" The entire time she said this, she continued to tear up her sandwich.

Another round of rock-paper-scissors.

"Why are you tearing up your sandwich?" May asked.

"If you must know," she began, "I'm imagining that _jerk's _face on it. It's very stress-relieving. You should try it some time."

"And why are you imagining his face on it?" Leaf asked bravely.

"Well, you see, we both have Battling Strategies as our elective, and yesterday, we found out about the tag battle. For some reason, the teacher put us together, saying something about rivals and stuff. So today, when I went to his class to work, I was nice and all to him. I even complimented him! 'Your Ursaring is really strong', I said to him. And what did he say? 'Yeah, well your Pachirisu isn't.' First off, he didn't thank me. And then he goes and insults my pokemon! I went off on a rant about manners and such, and during that entire rant, he didn't even listen to a thing I was saying!" Dawn huffed then ripped up her sandwich with increased vigor.

May nodded in understanding. "These guys really are jerks." She even went so far as to offer Dawn her own sandwich.

Leaf held up a finger. "Hold up a sec. Did you say that he insulted Pachirisu?"

Dawn nodded.

"Well then girls," Leaf said while smirking deviously, "it's payback time."

The four sisters went around table after table and whispered into various girls' ears. Every receiver went wide-eyed and gasped aloud, then rushed to take out a compact and slather lipgloss onto their lips. Then, all the girls excluding the four sisters sprinted towards a certain table in the center of the cafeteria.

**Paul's POV**

Lunch was normal today. Ketchum stuffed his face, like usual. Oak and Hayden were talking about girls or whatnot, like usual. And I zoned them all out, like usual. I sat there with an impassive face, bored out of my mind, when all of a sudden, the food in front of my started rattling.

"What the heck is happening?", Gary asked.

"I don't know, but it sounds like a stampede of Tauros", Ash commented. "Kinda like my Tauros…". After staring off into the distance, the idiot went back to consuming food the size of the Orange Islands.

I looked around me, trying to find the source of the vibrating when I suddenly paled.

Fangirls.

They came at me, swarming me like a hive of Combee, and just as annoying. Their shrill squeals nearly shattered my eardrums and I closed my eyes, trying to zone them out.

"Me, me! Pick me, Paul!"

"Paul, you know you want to choose me."

"I'll make it worth your time, Paul." She then proceeded to grab my arm. "Choose me to be your girlfriend!"

At that last comment, my eyes snapped open. Girlfriend? Why would they think that I would want a girlfriend.

"Why would I want a girlfriend?" I asked with an impassive face.

One annoying girl cooed, "Oh Paul. Don't play silly. We know that you're looking for one."

"Says who?", I asked nonchalantly.

Another girl with pounds of make-up on her face said, "says her", and she pointed to a girl outside the herd of fangirls.

I swiveled my head toward the direction of her finger and narrowed my eyes at the figure. It was a girl with blue hair and wearing pink. Who is she again? Oh, her. She's that annoying girl I'm tagging with. Even more annoying than her was the victorious smirk on her face. That was the last thing I saw before I was tackled by the shrill, irritating fangirls.

**XxxxX**

**Wednesday, September 30**

Studies at the Battle Tower were boring today. It was regular class instead of practicing for Friday's contest/battle, so the sisters were exceptionally bored out of their minds. However, they had a mission to complete, and that mission included getting information out of their marks.

During fourth period, their second work period, the sisters set out to get closer to the guys. It was going quite well, actually, for Misty and Ash. In fact, Misty was barely hostile to the boy at all.

"So Ash, when did you get your Pikachu?", she pried.

Ash eagerly began sharing his story. "It's a funny story actually. So I was ten years old and I had slept in and…" Misty was engaged in the conversation, storing any useful information in her mind. _Perfect_, she thought.

Dawn and Drew, however, weren't as compatible. Being Dawn, the bluenette was friendly towards the boy with green hair and matching eyes.

"So you're a coordinator? Me too!" she said energetically.

"That's interesting", he said coolly.

Dawn nodded happily. "Yeah! Why did you choose to be a coordinator?"

Drew cast an odd look towards her. "Why are you even talking to me?"

"Excuse me for trying to have a friendly conversation", she huffed while glaring at him.

May and Paul weren't faring any better in their conversation/attempt at a conversation.

"Have you competed in any leagues?" May asked the purple-haired boy. Said person simply nodded his head.

"How many?"

"A few."

"Where?"

"Around."

May let out a low growl, seeing as she was getting nowhere with her questioning of Paul. She tried a different approach.

"So your Ursaring was pretty powerful", she tried. Paul simply grunted in response.

"How often do you train it?"

"Not enough", he replied shortly.

"So, how often is that?"

"Not enough."

"Gah!" May let out an exasperated sigh. This jerk was impossible. _I don't think I can go through a single day without wanting to murder one of these guys._

_Likewise_, thought Dawn.

Leaf joined in the conversation. _I give up. Someone please make Gary stop hitting on me_.

_Let's just re-group_, May suggested.

_Fine by me!, _Dawn thought. _Misty, get over here_.

The group of four had mixed emotions. Dawn's was anger, and her usual pink aura was a dark purple. May was feeling exasperated and fed up with Paul, while Leaf was annoyed. Misty, on the other hand, was pretty…chill.

Dawn demanded, "How can you be so calm?"

Misty shrugged. "I don't know. Ash is actually a nice guy."

"Whoa there. Remember the golden rule?", May asked.

"Relax," the carrot-top said, "I'm not friend with him. Just cause we're not arguing like you guys are with your marks doesn't mean we're friends."

"Just be careful", May warned. Misty simply shrugged her shoulders in response.

**XxxxX**

**Thursday, October 1**

**May's POV**

I was waiting for Drew to show up at the gymnasium to practice for tomorrow's contest, for we had agreed to practice in my classes today. Sure enough, before he even said a word, I felt him approaching behind me.

"Took you long enough", I said, mimicking his words from before.

He, in turn, flicked his disgusting, fake hair. "Now that I'm here, the show can begin. Masquerain, come on out!"

I sighed before calling out my pokemon. "Wartortle, take the stage!"

**Leaf's POV**

Class today was kind of boring. All we did was have 5 minute long battles to get used to working with your partner. Then Professor Byron would have the losers say why they lost. It turns out that Gary is an ok partner, even though he didn't seem to be trying hard at all.

"Hey Gorgeous", I heard.

"What do you want Gary?"

"I think we're gonna win tomorrow's battle."

"Good to know."

"Wanna know why?", he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Why?"

"Cause I'm on your team", he said with a smirk.

"…right."

**Misty's POV**

"I think we should plan out which pokemon to call out depending on our opponents'", I said, trying to be somewhat productive.

"Sure", said the raven-haired boy. "I have all different types of pokemon. What about you?"

I scratched the back of my hair sheepishly. "Well, I only have water-type pokemon…" I waited for him to call me out on it, or criticize my choice of pokemon, but instead, he said, "We'll work around it." I stared at him, astounded. I couldn't believe how amiable he is.

"So if they call out a dark-type and a grass-type, I'd probably call out…Infernape, since it's effective against both pokemon." After Ash said this, he smiled, obviously proud of his conclusion.

**Dawn's POV**

I was standing a few feet behind my partner, Paul. I bit my lip, deciding whether or not to approach him, especially after Tuesday. Well, if I have to tag with him, we ought to at least be on speaking terms with each other. I straightened my shirt before approaching him with a bright smile.

"Hey!" All I got was an annoyed stare as a response, but I would not be deterred. "So, I think we started off on the wrong terms with each other. So why don't we start over?" My smile was still present on my face and I patiently waited for his response.

"Hnnnn", was all I got.

How dare he? I tried being nice to him and try to work out this rift, but no, he has to be a huge asshole. I could feel my face turning red with anger.

"Look here. I tried to set aside our differences and befriend you, and the least you can do is pretend to be grateful. So you—"

"It's our turn", he interrupted, referring to the five minute battles. I huffed with anger and literally stomped my way over to the battlefield.

I growled, "This isn't over." He didn't seem to hear me, which only bolstered my anger further. Rather than waste any more breathe over this, I simply walked past him, towards our side of the field, and _accidentally_ stuck my foot out in front of him. With a grunt, he slipped and almost fell, but managed to regain his balance. _Darn_. All well. He looked like a complete fool for a second or two.

"What was that for, Troublesome?" he growled.

I widened my eyes and raised my eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

He scowled even more before saying, "You tr—". Before he could finish, the professor interrupted.

"Trainers, release your pokemon."

With an innocent smirk/smile, I called out, "Mamoswine! Spotlight." While I was calling out my pokemon, I could feel his eyes on me. They were calculating, and I wondered what he was thinking. He just stood there for awhile, and he hadn't called out his pokemon yet.

"You know, you just might wanna call out your pokemon."

He focused his eyes and with the faintest, almost non-existent blush on his face he called, "Honchkrow, stand by for battle."

**XxxxX**

**I really didn't like this chapter, but let me know what you thought. Suggestions and comments are always welcome! If there's anything you'd like to see happen, send me a message/review and it just might show up in the story. ;) I like reviews, but I love all of you!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey you guys! Track practice has been hectic, even though it's summer… All well. Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it! And like always, R&R.**

**I don't own Pokemon.**

**XxxxX**

**Friday, October 2**

**Dawn's POV**

I woke up extra early this morning, 5:33 to be exact, because I had to look absolutely perfect for the battle. I spent extra care on shaving my legs, and then I went to blow dry my hair until it was completely free of water. I thrust open the door to my walk-in closet and went through every single article of clothing on the 'dress' side, biting my lip at certain ones. I decided on my classic pink dress with the red ribbon tied around the waist. _Can't go wrong with this dress_. After laying it neatly on my bed, I went back to the bathroom to painstakingly curl my navy locks, then pinned my hair half-back. After applying some light make-up, I stepped into my dress. I put both hands behind me to try and zip it up, but to no avail. I blew a traitorous piece of hair out of my face.

_Help?_, I called.

_Coming_, grumbled Misty.

My eyes shone with happiness when I saw her in a dress. Why doesn't she wear them more often? She looks amazing in them! Her aqua dress was knee-length with an empire waist, the band made up of sparkling sequins, and spaghetti straps. Her hair was, like usual, in a ponytail.

"What's up?", she asked.

I looked at my little feet, blushing while saying, "I can't reach the zipper…" My blush intensified with I heard my sister laugh.

"Let me get this straight- You can kick a guy's butt, fight with your hands tied behind your back, and work a gun, but you can't zip up a dress?"

"…maybe…", I sheepishly said.

"What am I going to do with you?", she teased. After zipping up my dress, she left the room, but not before calling out, "Go check on May, would you?"

"Alright!" I strapped my feet into my heels, then I bounded up to May's room, heels and all.

Once I reached her door I knocked before calling, "I'm coming in!"

My eyes nearly came out of my head when I saw what May was wearing. I spluttered a bit before making a coherent sentence.

"What are you wearing?" I demanded.

May sent me a confused look. "…clothes?"

"I can see that", I said, a bit exasperated. "But why aren't you dressed up?"

"No, the real question is why are _you_ dressed me?" she shot back.

I raised my eyebrows and responded, "Because of the battle we have today."

"Why are you dressing up for that?", she asked.

"Because you're supposed to!", I said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I saw my sister with a contemplative look on her face. "Ehhh, I'll pass", she said.

"Are you out of your flipping mind?", I screamed at her while resisting the urge to tear at my hair because I had already put it up. "You, May, are going to wear a dress if it's the last thing you do. And if you don't agree, I will force a dress on you even if it's the last thing _I _do!" Before she could even respond I dragged her down to my room. I sat her down in a chair and said, "Stay put." Then I went into my huge closet and sifted through my dresses a second time to find one suitable for May.

"Here", I said, before thrusting the chosen dress into her hands. She looked like she wanted to protest, but I cocked an eyebrow at her and pointed to the bathroom. I watched in amusement as my sister made her way over to get changed. I tapped my foot against the ground, waiting for her to open the door. As soon as she did, I clapped my hands together and squealed. "You look amazing!", I gushed. The yellow dress was pale in color, and thin straps tied around her neck held it in place. I then proceeded to push her back into the bathroom, took out her bandana, and threw her hair into a messy-yet-cute ponytail. She snatched the bandana back and tied it around her wrist before turning around to face me.

"Alright, I'm done being prepped. Can I go now?", she complained.

_Sigh_. "Fine…", I agreed. May literally bolted from my room when she heard my answer. _Was it really that bad?_

_Yes!_, May responded.

Misty joined in. _Time to go you guys._

_Coming_, I said.

As I made my way down to the door, I met up with Leaf. She was in a simple olive colored dress that was slightly tighter at the waist before flaring out to a little below mid-thigh.

"You look cute!" I exclaimed, fawning over her dress.

She answered back telepathically, _So do you!_

_Like usual_, Misty and May chorused.

I blushed. _Awww. Thanks you guys._

_No problem, _Misty said. _Now hurry it up._

**XxxxX**

**General POV**

The girls arrived at the Battle Tower and saw all the other female students dressed similarly to themselves; dresses or skirts and a nice top. They noticed that the majority of the male portion of the student body wore button down shirts and khakis, while some just wore polos. Everyone, including the four sisters, reported to Gymnasium 1 to figure out where their battles/contests would be held. As they walked down, May, Misty, Leaf, and Dawn constantly got compliments on their outfits, being popular and all. They finally made their way to the gym, and the crowd in front of papers posted to the door with the information on them seemed to part for the sisters.

_I'm liking this treatment_, Dawn thought.

Misty rolled her eyes. _Just don't let it get to your head._

As the bluenette stood before the papers, she searched for her and that jerk's name, then scanned a manicured finger across the paper.

"Looks like I'm in Gym 5", she concluded.

Leaf was the next to step up. "I'm in Gym 4", she said.

"I'm in the third one", Misty said after searching for her name.

May was at a separate group of papers, seeing as she was the only one participating in a contest. "Well, looks like we're supposed to head to Contest Hall 5 for appeals. Joy." She then turned to her sisters. "Good luck you guys! I know you'll all do great! Try not to beat up the person who wins though", she laughed.

"No need to worry", Dawn said brightly.

"Group hug!" Leaf exclaimed. The four sisters put their arms around each other, sharing their love. Once they separated, they each bumped fists, hitting the others' rings with her own, then turned and headed to her own destination.

**XxxxX**

**May's POV**

After I made it to Contest Hall 5, I was searching the sea of people for the only known person with green hair. I didn't have to search long before I felt his presence behind me.

"Bout time you showed up", I said, pretending to be aggravated while noticing his attire. He wore a white button down shirt and dark wash jeans. Not too shabby.

He flicked his annoying hair. "Couldn't wait to see me. I know how it is." I simply scoffed at him before sitting down in a seat. He, however, remained standing. It was kinda awkward for me to sit and him to stand, so I cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Are you just going to stand there all day?" Once again, he flicked his bangs before sitting down next to me. I swear, one of these days I'm going to cut off his fringe and see if he can still flick it.

"Hello coordinators", an energetic voice said. I glanced up to see that it was Professor Fantina who was talking. "As you all know, today is a tag contest! I know it will be magnifique!" she cried whilst twirling. "Now, onto Professor Wallace for some details."

"For today's contest, only two teams will make it through all four stages after the appeals. We have decided that each team may choose a different pair of pokemon for, at most, two stages. It doesn't matter which two. However, since only two teams will proceed to the final round, choose wisely as to when you wish to switch them", Wallace informed us. "I believe that's it. So let's get started!"

I watched as team after team went up to the stage to present their appeals. Some were decent while others needed major work. But not everyone can be an amazing coordinator, I guess. Soon I heard Professor Fantina call out, "May and Drew." Together, we walked up to the stage and stood side by side, facing the audience.

"Wartortle," I called, "take the stage!" Out came my beloved pokemon, ready to roll.

Next to me, Drew released his pokemon with a, "Masquerain, come on out!" Wartortle landed on its tail while Masquerain flew directly above its head, gently flapping its wings. We both subconsciously nodded towards each other to signal that we were ready to begin.

"Masquerain, hidden power!" Glowing orbs were sent into the air, moving in random directions.

I followed with, "Freeze them with ice-beam, Wartortle!" The attack shot from my pokemon's mouth froze the hidden power right where they were. The ice also reflected the light emitted from the orbs, intensifying its glow and shine.

"Aqua tail!", I commanded. Wartortle sent water into the air, causing streams of water to surround the globes.

"Silver wind!" From above, Masquerain sent its move towards the orbs whilst Wartortle continued to use aqua tail. The silver wind interlaced with the water, and the glowing balls of light were surround with silver and blue streams interlocked with each other. Perfect.

"Time to finish it off!", I exclaimed. "Wartortle", I called. "Masquerain", Drew cried. "Bubble!", we simultaneously said. Both pokemon shot bubbles out of their mouths towards the art they had created, Masquerain from above and Wartortle from below. The bubbles interrupted the streams, and an explosion of silver and blue was appeared. This explosion caused the orbs to crack and break, creating sparkles that fell from the sky and down towards our pokemon and the audience alike. _Nailed it_. Drew bowed towards the audience while I curtsied, and we left the stage feeling mighty pleased with ourselves.

_Thirty minutes later…_

"Us judges would like to congratulate all of you coordinators. All appeals were incroyable! We must applaud you!", cried Fantina. Then, Professor Wallace stood up.

"Sadly, however, only 16 teams may proceed. Please look to the board to see if you are one of those sixteen. If not, better luck next time." With a flamboyant turn of his cape, Wallace left to go sit back down.

Hopeful eyes, mine included, turned to the board, waiting for it to show who made it past. After a pregnant pause, faces started to appear on the screen. Yes! Drew's and my face were the first to show up, meaning that we had the best appeal.

"We made it! And the best appeal, too!", I exclaimed, not able to withhold my excitement. He, on the other hand, simply flicked his fringe and said, "Of course we did." I wanted to yell at him to stop being so arrogant, but then again, I, too, knew that we would proceed to the next stage. I decided to keep my mouth shut and just inform my sisters of my win.

**With Ash and Misty**

Ash and Misty were in Gym Three, and they stood at their end of the battlefield. Facing them were opponents Katie and Olivia.

"Trainers, this will be a tag battle, with each trainer calling out a pokemon. The battle will end when all of one side's pokemon are unable to battle. There is no time limit. Battle begin!"

"Go, Hitmonlee!", Katie called.

"Turtwig, join in the battle!", Olivia said while tossing her pokeball into the air.

Ash and Misty looked at each other, and she whispered to him, "Use Staraptor." He nodded, agreeing with her choice.

"Corsola, time to shine!", Misty cried.

Ash enlarged a pokeball. "Staraptor, I choose you!"

The pokemon on each end of the battlefield eyed the others warily, sizing them up. Misty and Ash decided to make the first move.

"Staraptor, wing attack on Turtwig", Ash commanded.

Misty issued, "Corsola, spike cannon and aim for Hitmonlee!" Both attacks rushed towards the opponent, but Katie and Olivia were quick to counterattack.

"Hitmonlee, dodge!"

"Turtwig, dodge, then use razor leaf on Corsola!"

Misty knew that if the razor leaf were to make contact, it'd b super effective, so she quickly said, "Corsola, jump onto Staraptor's back to dodge!"

"Hitmonlee," Katie shouted, "launch yourself into the air then use hi jump kick!"

"Dodge with quick attack!" The quick attack gave Staraptor the burst of speed it needed to avoid the hi jump kick. As Hitmonlee landed next to Turtwig, it gave a hiss of pain because the hi jump kick had missed.

"Now, Staraptor, aerial ace!"

"Spike cannon", Misty commanded.

As Staraptor flew towards Hitmonlee and Turtwig, silvery spikes from Corsola shot in front of them, preventing their opponents from seeing them.

"Hurry Turtwig", Olivia called. "Use razor leaf to counter those spikes!" Though the leaves succeeded in clearing the spikes, it wasn't fast enough to stop Staraptor from landing a direct hit on Turtwig, causing it to lose major damage. While Turtwig was reeling from the attack, Ash and Misty quickly called another attack.

"Air-Twister Beam!", they shouted.

Corsola let out a bubblebeam while Staraptor used gust. The two attacks combined to make a vortex of air and water, and it was such a surprise to Katie and Olivia that they were too awed to make a command. The Air-Twister Beam loomed closer and closer to Hitmonlee and Turtwig, and it hit dead on, and it was super effective, too.

"Monlee!", Hitmonlee cried.

"Turt", the Turtwig exclaimed.

When the smoke cleared, both pokemon were on the ground, unconscious.

"Hitmonlee and Turtwig are unable to battle", the referee determined. "Ash and Misty and Staraptor and Corsola are the winners."

After both sides returned their pokemon, Ash started to jump up and down. "We did it Mist! We won!" he cheered.

Misty watched him with a bemused look on her face. "Yeah, we did."

Ash looked at her, confused. "Why aren't you celebrating?"

"I'll celebrate after we win this whole thing", she said.

"Oh….", he said, a little put off. Then he shrugged and started to jump around some more. "We still won!"

Misty rolled her eyes before saying, "Let's go watch Dawn's battle."

"You mean Paul's battle?"

"Which is Dawn's too."

"Oh. Ok!"

The two raced over to Gym 5 in hope of catching Dawn/Paul's battle. After reaching the fifth gym, they found Leaf and Gary already there.

"Hey!", Misty said.

Leaf turned around. "Hey Misty! How'd your battle go?"

"We won", she replied.

"Yay! So did we!" Leaf informed her sister. "But the people we battled weren't all that good…"

"Yeah, they were no match for my pokemon and I", Gary interjected.

The girls stared pointedly at him, before turning to each other. "I'll ask", Misty said. "What are you doing here Gary?"

"I'm here to watch Paul's battle", he said plainly.

"But what are you doing _here_? In the conversation between us two sisters?"

Gary really had no response to that, and he was saved when Ash exclaimed, "Hurry up! You're missing the battle!" That got the three's attention, and they scurried over to watch the battle taking place between Dawn Togekiss and Paul's Honchkrow and these two girls' Tauros and Scyther. It seemed that they got their too late and they had talked too much, for Dawn and Paul looked like they were ready to finish it off.

"Dark pulse", Paul commanded. Dark purple tinted with black orbs were sent hurtling towards Tauros.

"Togekiss, air slash!" The pokemon used its wing to send a powerful blade of air towards Scyther. Witht that, Tauros and Scyther were out cold.

"Dawn and Paul's Togekiss and Honchkrow are the winners!" This time, it was Dawn who was dancing with glee. She was smiling with happiness and was trying to talk to Paul, momentarily forgetting how much she hated him.

"Stop it. You're being annoying and stupid."

Now she remembered.

**XxxxX**

**With May and Drew**

The tag team of brunette and green-hair stood confidently on their stage, waiting for the battle to begin. They would be facing off against Abby and Jill. They were winking and waving at Drew, trying to catch his attention. _Joy_, May thought, _more of the grasshead's fangirls._

"Are all four coordinators ready to battle?" They all nodded their heads in affirmation. "Then let's get started!" And at once, the timer started counting down.

"Wartortle, take the stage!"

"It's your turn, Masquerain!"

Abby and Jill paused a moment before calling out their pokemon.

"Pidgeotto, like, come on out!", cried Abby.

Jill was the last to go. "Ponyta, make us look good!"

May looked at Drew through the corner of her eye. Both opponents' pokemon had a type advantage over his Masquerain, and she was checking to see his expression. She was surprised to see that he was unfazed, but before he could catch her looking at him, May turned her eyes back to the battlefield.

"Pidgeotto, air slash", said Abby while she was petting her hair.

"Add in your flamethrower", Jill cried.

"Wartortle," May said, "deflect the combination with a water pulse." The huge ball of water that Wartortle created easily cancelled out the air slash-flamethrower combination. Points were deducted from Abby and Jill.

"Fire blast, like, now. And aim it towards that Masquerain."

Drew quickly called, "Bubble!" Masquerain's attack was sent towards the fire blast, but it wasn't strong enough to cancel it out, and the fire loomed closer towards Masquerain. Some points disappeared from their side. May, seeing Masquerain's state, went to help Drew. "Wartortle, go protect Masquerain!" As her faithful pokemon sprinted over, Abby cried,

"Oh no you don't. Pidgeotto, gust!"

"Rapid spin!", May cried. Wartortle retreated into its shell and began spinning, which allowed it to easily cut through the gust and reach Masquerain. Abby and Jill now only had half of their points left. "Now water gun!" Still spinning, water was ejected for Wartortle's shell, circling it and its partner. It effectively doused the fire blast and managed to it Ponyta as well, though not Pidgeotto for it managed to fly away. More points melted away.

"Pidgeotto, aerial ace, and don't you dare miss", Abby commanded. May started to feel angry at the tone Abby used. _Let's end this soon_, she decided.

"Drew, I want you to tell Masquerain to spin and use bubble", she said. Her partner didn't enjoy being ordered what to do, and he refused to listen to her.

"Why?"

"Just do it! Pidgeotto is coming in fast", May cried, exasperated.

Drew hated taking orders, but he decided to trust her judgment, just this one time. "Masquerain, spin and use bubble." His pokemon didn't ask questions nor did it falter, and a shield of bubbles was created, hitting Pidgeotto and stopping its aerial ace. Only a fourth of the girls' points remained.

"Let's finish it off. Wartortle, ice beam at Pidgeotto!"

"Bubble at Ponyta, Masquerain!"

"Dodge it!", Abby and Jill cried, but it was too late. Wartortle and Masquerain's attacks landed with a direct hit.

"Ponyta and Pidgeotto are unable to battle. Would May and Drew please proceed to the next stage in Contest Hall 2?"

After May had recalled her pokemon, she noticed that Abby and Jill were seething. Her sensitive ears caught what the two prissy girls were saying.

"Pidgeotto, that was terrible. It's all your fault that we lost."

"No food for you tonight, Ponyta. Maybe that'll teach you your lesson."

May was outraged. How dare those two bitchy girls treat their pokemon that way? She marched on over to where they stood, still scolding their pokemon. When she reached them, she pointed an accusatory finger at them.

"How dare you treat your pokemon that way? They battled hard, for you, and you're blaming them for _your_ loss? You're not the ones who got hit by the attacks, and you weren't the ones who were actually working. Don't you _ever_ blame your pokemon for your own mistakes", May ranted before turning around to return to where Drew stood.

Abby and Jill's eyes had narrowed to slits during May's speech. They had never been yelled at before, and they decided to humiliate her, no matter how popular she was. Jill raised a manicured hand, stiffened it, and aimed it at the back of May's head. Quick as a snake, May turned back around and caught the prissy girl's wrist while cocking an eyebrow. Her sapphire eyes met Jill's, and she saw fear in them.

"I wouldn't do that again if I were you", May warned before moving quickly and swinging her leg to the back of Jill's knees, forcing her to fall to the ground. With that, the brunette walked with pride back over to Drew and said, "Let's go. The next stage is waiting for us", and proceeded to walk towards that door.

The chartreuse boy gazed at her in wonder and awe. After listening to her inspiring speech, he saw her in a new light. And how had she managed to catch Jill's hand? Confused, Drew shook his head before casually following May to the door. _I'll figure it out later_, he decided.

**XxxxX**

**So, I need your guys' help with something. Who do you think should be the winners of the regular battles? Ash and Misty, Paul and Dawn, or Gary and Leaf? Leave a review for who you want to win. Who wins is decided by you! So review, please!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm sooooo unbelievably sorry that it's been so long since I've updated. My family's been going through a tough time right now, with something that I don't really wish to say. But I was determined to work on this story, so here it is. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, whether it be for who should win, or just for reviewing the chapter. You guys make me happy. :)**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter, and like always, R&R!**

**I don't own pokemon**

**Round Three**

Pairs of black and teal eyes stared across the battlefield, taking in their black and green eyed opponents. Said black and green eyed people were doing the exact same thing. Never mind that one black eyed person was friends with the other with black eyes, or that the teal eyed person was sisters with the green eyed. This was a battle, and nothing, not even family, would keep one team from beating the other. Ash and Misty as a team, and Gary and Leaf as another, had easily made it past the second round of this mock league, as did Paul and Dawn. It was inevitable that they would have to face off against each other.

"This battle will be between two teams of the top eight. Starting now, each trainer must select a pokemon. This will be the pokemon that you use during this battle. No substitutions allowed. Trainers- select a pokemon", the referee announced.

The team of Ash and Misty had the same dilemma as the team of Gary and Leaf. Misty specialized in only water pokemon, and Leaf in grass-type, so it was to their respective partners to choose the best pokemon to compliment their own.

When the ref saw that each trainer had chosen a pokemon, he continued with his speech. "This will be a two vs. two battle. The battle will end one all of one side's pokemon are unable to battle. There is no time limit. Are all the trainers ready?" He paused for a moment, surveying each one, then shouted, "Begin!"

Misty was the first to release her chosen pokemon. "Starmie, you're up!"

Leaf was next. "Come on out, Grovyle!"

"Heracross, I choose you!" Ash said.

Gary was last, and he kissed his pokeball right before releasing his pokemon. "Go, Golem!"

Once all the pokemon were released, the battle truly began.

"Heracross, focus punch on Golem", Ash commanded.

"Swift, Starmie!" Misty issued.

Gary, knowing that Golem wasn't nearly as fast as Heracross, decided to meet the bug pokemon head on. "Rollout!"

"Grovyle, dodge then use leaf blade!" The wood-gecko pokemon easily dodged the swift attack, then closed in on Starmie, while the blades on its arms glowed.

Misty was quick to counterattack. She waited until Grovyle neared her pokemon before calling out, "Watergun!" Being in such a close proximity, Grovyle was unable to completely dodge the attack, and was hit as it tried to dodge.

Meanwhile, the two heavyweight pokemon collided with a boom, sending dust particles into the air. Without waiting for the dust to clear, Gary called out, "Rock Blast!" The rock pokemon quickly hurled rocks at Heracross, causing it to sustain damage.

"Bullet seed into quick attack!" Leaf called out.

"Counter it with bubblebeam!" Misty cried.

Blue and green met each other and cancelled each other out. However, Grovyle was rushing towards Starmie at the speed of light.

"Hurry! Leaf blade!"

Before Misty could react, Grovyle landed a direct hit on the water-type. Had it been any other Grovyle, Starmie would have easily shaken off the attack. However, this was Leaf's Grovyle, at as a high a level as Starmie. The water pokemon's gem blinked twice before it shook off the attack.

"Heracross, charge up your hyper beam", Ash commanded.

Misty knew that that attack would take awhile to charge, so she decided to cover for Ash. "Ice Beam!"

Leaf wanted to tell Grovyle to dodge, but she knew that her partner would be unable to. "Spin while using bullet seed!" A ring of seeds was created around Golem and Grovyle, blocking out ice beam. By then, however, Heracross' hyper beam was ready.

"Let it rip!" Ash cried.

The orange beam of power was released from Heracross and was sent hurtling towards Grovyle and Golem.

"Add in your swift!" Glowing stars joined with the beam, taking on an orange tint.

Gary quickly commanded, "Use rollout to dodge!"

Leaf decided to take a risk. "Jump up to dodge then use solar beam!" Like hyper beam, solar beam would take awhile to charge up, leaving Grovyle open to attacks.

The hyper-swift combo was dodged, and hit the wall, damaging it. Heracross was worn out from hyper beam, and was unable to move. Golem was open to attack Heracross while Starmie was able to attack Grovyle. Rather than take advantage of Heracross' opening, Gary decided to attack Starmie. "Rollout!" Golem curled up into a ball and whizzed down to meet the water pokemon.

"Ice beam!"

The ice was sent directly towards Golem, but it easily swerved to the right, swerved back to the left, then crashed directly into the center of Starmie. The water pokemon shuddered from the attack, and its gem started to blink continuously, letting everyone know how tired it was.

"Are you alright?" Misty asked, clearly worried. Her faithful pokemon shook itself before standing determinedly. Its trainer smiled, relieved. But that feeling of relief fled as soon as she heard, "Fire!" Grovyle, done charging up, let loose a beam of green power zooming towards Starmie. Ash, knowing how weak his partner's pokemon was, hurriedly cried, "Jump in front of Starmie!"

The bug pokemon went to Starmie's aid, and took the brunt of the solar beam. Even though it was a bug pokemon and wasn't as affected by grass as other pokemon, Grovyle was a powerful pokemon, as was its solar beam, causing Heracross to sustain damage. Misty looked at her partner, amazed that he would do such a thing for her Starmie. Though she wouldn't voice it, she was definitely moved.

Gary decided that he wouldn't waste this opportunity to attack Heracross, so he commanded Golem use rock throw.

"Counter it with bubblebeam!"

"Bullet seed!" Leaf cried.

The bubblebeam and rock throw collided and cancelled each other out, but the bullet seed that followed rained on Starmie and Heracross. Starmie, weak from before, could not last anymore. With a final cry, it fell down, its red gem facing up, blinking rapidly.

"Starmie is unable to battle", the referee decided. Misty silently returned her pokemon before whispering, "Thank you so much. You deserve a long rest." She then turned to Ash and said, "I know you can win this." Once said, she left to stand by the side of the battlefield to watch how the rest of the battle would turn out.

"Heracross, use megahorn on Grovyle", Ash cried.

Leaf laughed internally. _Perfect_, she thought. "Watch this", she whispered to Gary who, in turn, raised an eyebrow.

"Grovyle, run towards Heracross!" The audience gasped. While Grovyle was big, it was no match for Heracross in weight or size. What was Leaf doing? Misty was the only one who wasn't surprised. Instead, she felt pity for Ash. _He doesn't know what's coming_, the redhead thought.

As the two pokemon got closer and closer, Ash cockily thought that he was going to beat Leaf. A smirk grew on his face as he saw the space between Heracross and Grovyle melt.

"Aerial ace!" Leaf commanded. The crowd, once again, gasped. How had Leaf taught Grovyle, a grass-type, a flying-type move?

Grovyle took a sudden burst of speed and closed the gap, hitting Heracross dead on.

"Hera!" the bug pokemon cried. Being incredibly weak to flying type moves, it immediately became unconscious.

"Heracross is unable to battle. The victors are Gary and Leaf. Congratulations."

After Ash returned his pokemon, he sulkily trudged back to his partner. "Sorry I messed it up for us", he said.

Rather than be mad like he thought she'd be, Misty smiled gently. "Don't worry about it. They were a tough team to beat. Besides, you lasted longer than I."

And just like that, Ash didn't feel so bad anymore. "Thanks Mist", he said with a smile. His smile broadened when he saw her smile back.

**Round 4**

Dawn stood at her end of the battlefield, eager to start battling, quite unlike her stoic partner who showed no emotion on his face. The blunette attempted to start a conversation.

"Doesn't it suck that Misty and Leaf had to battle each other? I wanted both of them to win."

The only sign that Paul heard her was an annoyed glance sent her way. She, however, was not to be deterred. "The same concept goes for your friends Ash and Gary, doesn't it?"

"No. They always battle anyway", he grumbled.

Dawn's eyes widened. _He spoke!_, she thought.

_Who did?_, May asked.

_My jerk of a partner._

_Really? He never talks to me, even when I try. Hmmm_, May thought with a contemplative tone. _All well. How's your battle going?_

_It hasn't started yet. Yours?_, Dawn responded.

_Pretty easy. I'm battling now as we speak_, May said casually. _It's my Beautifly and cabbage head's Absol against a Glameow and Breloom. Though I must say that they are pretty good coordinators._

_That's good to hear_. Just then, the ref's voice made its way to Dawn's ear. _Oh shoot. Battle's about to start. Bye!_

_Good luck!_

"—will be a two on two battle between the team of Paul and Dawn and the team of Brendan and Lucas. There is no time limit. The battle will end when all of one side's pokemon are unable to battle. Have the trainers chosen their pokemon?" All four raised a pokeball in response. "Begin!"

"Pachirisu, spotlight!" Dawn cried.

"Luxray, battle time!" Lucas called.

Paul was next. "Torterra- stand by for battle."

"Come on out Marshtomp!" Brendan said.

Dawn gritted her teeth. Pachirisu was practically useless in this battle. Even though Marshtomp is a water-type, it's also a ground-type, making it unaffected by electric moves. And Luxray, another electric-type, isn't affected by electric-type moves. It was, however, in the same position as Dawn's Pachirisu.

"Marshtomp- mud shot at Pachirisu", Brendan commanded.

"Run towards Torterra, then use bite!" Lucas cried.

"Quick Pachirisu, dodge!"

Paul then said, "Stone edge." Stones levitated off the ground, paused for a moment, then shot towards Luxray. Because it was rushing in so fast, it was unable to evade the stones. It, however, shook off the attack.

"Now, Marshtomp! Water gun at Torterra!"

Paul smirked. "Leaf storm." A mass of leaves rose up and were sent hurtling towards the water gun. It easily cut through the water and landed a direct hit on the unprotected Marshtomp, significantly weakening it.

"Sweet kiss, Pachirisu. Then quick attack!" Dawn issued.

"Chu pai!" the pokemon cried before sending out pink hearts towards Luxray.

Lucas cried, "Use spark to deflect them." After Luxray cancelled out the hearts, it saw a squirrel-like pokemon hurtling towards it.

"Super fang!" The quick attack from before had boosted Pachirisu's speed, allowing it to execute the attack perfectly.

By now, Marshtomp and Luxray were breathing heavily from exertion, while Torterra and Pachirisu just stood there without a scratch.

"Pachirisu, jump in the air, then spin and use sweet kiss!" Pink hearts rained from the sky in a circle, herding Marshtomp and Luxray as well as preventing them from escaping.

"Torterra- leaf storm", Paul said.

"Terra!"

Leaves were whipped into the air and sent straight towards Marshtomp and Luxray, effectively ending the battle.

"The battle between the team of Dawn and Paul and the team of Brendan and Lucas is now over. The winners are the team of Dawn and Paul. Congratulations."

Dawn happily returned her pokemon, praising it as she did so. Though it appeared that her attention was on Pachirisu, she was acutely aware of the glares that her opponents were sending her way.

_That bitch. I'll get her back for this_, she heard. Dawn quickly left their thoughts, not wanting to hear any more. She walked back towards Paul, acting completely normal.

"Nice job, Paul!" she chirped. "It's really all thanks to you that we won!"

She expected a snide comment about how she did nothing, so she was surprised when Paul silently nodded. For this small act of kindness, Dawn decided, just this once, to not blow up at him.

**Contest Battle- Round Four/Final Round**

**May's POV**

This was it. The final round of today's tag battle. Just one more round, one more win, and Drew and I would win this thing! Only five more minutes till I win this thing and never associate with Drew again. Okay, that last part is a stretch, but at least I won't have to deal with him as a tag partner. This round should be a breeze; the last three were. _Don't get cocky_, I warned myself. _The last time you did that, you got hurt_. I shook my head. Not a time to be thinking about that right now.

Professor Fantina got up from the judging panel and act as 'ref'. "Bonjour, coordinators. Zees will be ze final battle of the day. Congratulations to zees final two teams, as well as to everyone else. Ze battle will be between ze tag team of Drew and May and ze team of Claire and Katherine. Are ze coordinators ready?" She glanced at all of our faces before crying out, "Begin!"

"Wartortle, take the stage!" I cried.

"Come on out, Masquerain", Drew said.

Claire went next. "Lunatone! Go!"

"You got this Cherrim!" Katherine cried.

Right at this moment, the timer changed from 5:00 to 4:59 and counting.

"Wartortle, water gun at Lunatone!"

"Psychic!" Claire cried. Lunatone stopped the water in its tracks before sending it straight back towards Wartortle and Masquerain. Points were docked from our bar,

"Use silver wind to break it up!" Drew commanded. The burst of wind pulverized the water, destroying it. For this, Katherine and Claire lost some points, too, evening the score.

"Use magical leaf, Cherrim!" Glowing, light green leaves were sent flying towards my Wartortle.

"Rapid spin into water gun", I cried. Wartortle retreated back into its shell before spinning at a dizzying pace. Water was then released from the openings in its shell, creating a shield and countering the magical leaf. Major point deduction on their part.

"Masquerain, bubble!"

"I don't think so", Claire remarked. "Dodge, then use psychic!"

Lunatone evaded the bubble attack, then trapped the bug-flying dual pokemon in its Psychic attack. Drew's pokemon was flailing about trying to get free. Points melted away on our bar. I could see Drew trying to think of a way to free his Masquerain, but nothing was coming to him. I then saw Claire and Katherine nod at each other.

"Cherrim, helping hand", Katherine said. The grass-type pokemon starting cheering and dancing, and its body gave off a green glow, which expanded to Lunatone, powering it up.

Claire smirked. "Stone edge."

My eyebrows raised, and I started panicking for Drew. If this stone edge hit, it'd be all over for Drew's Masquerain, seeing as it's extremely weak to rock type moves. And since this was powered up by helping hand, Masquerain wouldn't stand a chance. I spared a glance towards my green-haired partner and saw him come to the same conclusion. He raked a hand through his hair, messing it up. I glanced up at the board and saw a huge mass of points being deducted from our side, then looked back to the stones rushing closer and closer towards Masquerain. I didn't need Masquerain to win this battle, but then again…

"Wartortle, take the attack!" I cried urgently. There was a collective gasp as my Wartortle sprinted and flew in front of Masquerain, taking the boosted stone edge for it.

"Tortle!" I knew that it hurt, but my Wartortle was strong. Even as I thought this, I saw it stand back up, only a little bit winded.

I spared a look to my partner, and saw him gaping at me. He then quickly collected himself before putting on a cool façade. He nodded at me, in thanks, I guess, before I turned back towards the battle.

"Cherrim, magical leaf!"

Perfect. As the leaves once against rushed towards my Wartortle, I commanded, "Rapid spin towards Lunatone!"

Wartortle returned into its shell and spun towards the meteorite pokemon while the leaves continued to chase it. Right as Wartortle reached Lunatone, it stopped spinning and hid behind it. The leaves, not being as smart as my pokemon, crashed straight into Lunatone, damaging it. The points of Katherine and Claire halved themselves.

"Nice job, Wartortle", I praised. "Now, water pulse." A mass of water was created, then shot at Lunatone. Red 'X's appeared at the judge's panel, signaling that Lunatone was unable to battle.

I could literally feel Katherine's nervousness when she saw that her partner was out. In a nervous haste, she called out, "Solarbeam!" I softly shook my head at her rookie mistake before looking at Drew. He, apparently, had the same idea I did.

"Ice beam!" we both called out. Two beams of ice-cold energy shot towards Cherrim who was unable to defend itself. We didn't even need the judges to know that Cherrim was unconscious. As Katherine stood there, dumbfounded, the judges/professors left the judging panel and walked onto the stage.

"After a tough battle, it seems like the winners of this week's tag-contest are Drew and May. Congratulations!" Nurse Joy declared.

Then Professor Fantina took the mic. "Oui, everyone did wonderful. You have all gotten a bit stronger from zees contest, no?"

Finally, it was Professor Wallace's turn to speak. "I hope that you all enjoyed this contest as much as we did. Now, let's put our hands together for our winners." After an appropriate time, the applause died down. "We look forward to seeing you next week and preparing for next week's contest. Until then!" After that, everyone slowly began to filter out of the contest hall, heading off to various destinations. Unlike them, however, I stayed on the stage and praised my pokemon.

"You did amazing out there, Wartortle. I'm so proud of you!" My pokemon, in turn, beamed up at me before jumping into my arms. As I hugged it tight, I also murmured, "Thank you for jumping in front of Masquerain. You took it so well." After I set Wartortle down, I fed it some pokeblock, which it gobbled down almost instantly. After feeding Wartortle, I returned it to its pokeball. When I turned around, I saw something red flying towards my face. My reflexes forced me to catch it, and when I looked at the object in my hand, I saw that it was a rose.

"That's a thank you to Wartortle for helping my Masquerain", he explained. I knew that he was deliberately ignoring thanking me, but thanking my pokemon was good enough.

"I think Wartortle will like it", I commented.

"Of course it will. No one dislikes my roses", he said arrogantly. I sighed. Back to jerk-mode.

I was walking towards the entrance of the hall when I noticed Drew tailing me. "Are you lost?" I asked, teasing him.

He flicked his hair. "Of course not. Where are you headed?"

"Why do you wanna know?" As I glanced back at him, I noticed a faint blush on his face. I decided to save him from embarrassment by saying, "Gymanasium 5. That's where the final trainer battles are held." With that, I walked on towards Gym 5. I groaned in annoyance when I noticed that he was following me again. "You sure you're not lost?"

Once again, flipping his hair, he said, "I'm going with you. My friends are battling, too, you know."

"Whatever." Together, we walked towards the Gym with an awkward silence hanging in the air and a red rose in my hands.

**Trainer Battle- Round 5/Final Round**

**General POV**

This was it. The final battle that decided it all. Best friend vs. best friend, sister vs. sister. Of course, there would be no hard feelings after this battle, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't give it their all. Each trainer—Dawn, Paul, Leaf, and Gary—had a pre-chosen pokeball in his/her hand. This would keep the battle fair. On one side of the battlefield, the team of Leaf and Gary stood, talking to each other.

"We'll win this. Piece of cake", Gary boasted with his chest puffed out.

"Don't get too cocky. It's bad karma and sets a bad mood."

"Ah, who cares? I know we'll win. Why? Because I'm on this team."

Leaf rolled her eyes. "You keep telling yourself that."

On the other side of the field, however, conversation was minimal. True, there was a lot of talking on Dawn's part, but actual conversation would require a response from her partner.

"Let's be confident, Paul!" the blunette chirped. "If we believe in ourselves, we can win this!" Dawn continued to act optimistically while her partner stared ahead, ignoring her. When Dawn realized that she was being ignored, she decided to step it up a bit.

"Why aren't you talking, Paul? Nervous?" she taunted. "It's okay if you are. I won't tell anyone."

This caught the purple-haired person's attention. "Not nervous."

"Well, you certainly seem like you are", continued Dawn. "If you want to vent, I'm right here", she teased some more.

"Shut up, Troublesome. I'm not scared of Oak or that girl."

Rather than be irked by the nickname, Dawn nearly jumped with happiness. She got a sentence out of him!

Right then, the referee stepped up to his place beside the battlefield. "This is the final round of today's tag battles. This two vs. two battle will be fought between the team of Leaf and Gary and the team of Dawn and Paul. There is no time limit. The battle will end when all of one side's pokemon are unable to battle. Have the trainers chosen their pokemon?" He paused before continuing. "Let the battle begin!"

"Scizor, let's go!" Gary, as he did every time before releasing his pokemon, kissed the pokeball before releasing it.

Leaf went next. "Come on out, Chikorita!"

"Togekiss, spotlight!" Dawn cried.

And finally, "Weavile, stand by for battle."

The palpable suspense hanging in the air was broken by two certain members of the audience—one a redhead, the other a brunette.

"Whooo! You got this!" May cheered.

Misty pumped her fist in the air as she yelled, "Go Leaf! Go Dawn! We love you!"

In response, Leaf and Dawn laughed and beamed back at their sisters while others were giving them strange looks, Ash, Gary, Drew, and Paul included. After a brief pause of awkwardness, the battle actually began.

"Togekiss, air slash!" A blade of air, created by Togekiss' wing, sliced from the sky, looming towards Chikorita and Scizor.

"Quick, Scizor. Counter with swift!" Gary called. Glowing stars shot out to meet the air slash, and smoke was created when the two attacks collided.

Taking advantage of the smoke, Paul called out, "Run in close to Chikorita. Then use ice beam."

"Wea." The feline-like pokemon rushed down the battlefield, using the smoke as cover. Leaf quickly glanced at her partner and nodded at him, not waiting for him to nod back before saying, "Jump!" Chikorita used its short albeit powerful legs to launch itself in the air. Scizor zoomed out of nowhere to catch the grass pokemon on its back, then soared up into the air.

"Poison powder", Leaf commanded.

Just as Chikorita was about to release a purple substance into the air, Dawn cried out, "Safeguard!" A glow momentarily surrounded Togekiss and Weavile, temporarily protecting them from poison powder's effects.

"Air slash, once more!"

"When the moment's right, use faint attack", Paul commanded.

Dawn cried. Another powerful blade of air made its way towards Scizor and Chikorita. Chikorita jumped off Scizor's back, enabling it to fly away faster without any extra weight hindering it. As it fell through the air, Weavile, unknown to Leaf or Gary, disappeared from the field. The moment Chikorita's feet grazed the ground, Weavile reappeared and rammed itself into the grass-type.

"Chika!" the pokemon cried out.

"Scizor- surround Weavile with swift!" Glowing stars shot from Scizor's claws straight towards Weavile, but instead of hitting it, they circled the pokemon, leaving no room for escape.

Dawn hurriedly cried, "Togekiss! Destroy it with air slash!"

"Oh no you don't", Leaf muttered. "Counter with razor leaf!" The attacks collided with a bang. The air slash was faring better only because of the type advantage, so Chikorita quickly sent out another round of leaves, keeping Togekiss away from Scizor, who had successfully trapped Weavile.

"X-Scissor!" Gary commanded. Trapped, with nowhere to go, Weavile was like a sitting Psyduck. As Scizor loomed closer, its pincers glowing, Paul quickly ordered, "Ice beam." A beam of ice cold energy erupted from Weavile's mouth and shot towards Scizor.

"Dodge!" The bug-steel type pokemon easily evaded the ice beam and then boosted its speed, zooming towards Weavile.

"Scizor!" it cried when its pincers, along with a silver, glowing 'X', met their mark. Weavile sustained heavy damage from the super-effective bug-type move.

"Togekiss", Dawn called out, "extreme speed into sky attack!" Togekiss hurtled towards Chikorita at the speed of light with the help of extreme speed. Leaf, however, having trained against Togekiss before, knew exactly what to do.

"Spin while using magical leaf!"

"Chika!" The grass-type pokemon spun, surrounding itself with power-imbued leaves. Despite the shield, Togekiss did not falter as it flew straight towards Chikorita, switching from extreme speed to sky attack. It slammed through the counter-shield and its momentum added to the power of the attack. Chikorita cried out as it was hit, sustaining copious amounts of damage from the powerful attack. It, however, was trained by Leaf, and was able to remain standing. The whole audience, with the exception of May and Misty, watched in wonder as Chikorita stood up with only slightly shaky legs.

"Good job Chikorita!", Leaf praised. "Now, magical leaf at Weavile!"

"Counter with ice shard", Paul commanded.

The two attacks met and collided, but both refused to let the other win. Weavile would gain a little, then lose a little, Chikorita was exactly the same. With a final push, however, Chikorita overpowered the ice shard, and the magical leaf was the attack that landed.

Meanwhile, Gary had commanded Scizor to use steel wing, while Dawn's Togekiss was told to use aerial ace. The two flew around in the air, meeting each other several times, causing both to steadily lose damage.

Leaf paused briefly, creating a plan in her mind. It was risky, but totally worth it. She told Gary, "I need you to let Chikorita fly on Scizor."

Gary then called out, "Scizor- give Chikorita a lift."

"Ice beam", Paul issued.

Leaf smirked.

Since Scizor wasn't hers to command, Leaf told Gary what to do.

"Quick attack towards Togekiss", Gary said after Leaf relayed her plan. Scizor, with Chikorita on its back, darted towards the normal-flying type.

"Aerial ace!" Dawn cried. Togekiss rushed towards Scizor and Chikorita, and with every passing second, they loomed closer and closer. Right when they were about to hit, Leaf shouted, "Dodge!"

Scizor immediately darted to the right, and Togekiss, unable to see what had been tailing the two pokemon, was the one hit by Weavile's ice beam.

"Paul! Why did you do that? In case you haven't noticed, we are partners!" Dawn reprimanded, appalled by what her partner had just done.

"If you were paying attention, you would've noticed the ice beam. Idiot", Paul shot back in a monotone.

"I'm the idiot? Hello? It was _your _ice beam that hit _my_ Togekiss!"

The two were so caught up in their argument that they failed to notice the oncoming swift-magical leaf combination headed their way. The leaves, green in color with a purple glow, spiraled with the glowing stars, which had turned purple. Togekiss and Weavile, without any orders to dodge or counter, cried out when hit by the combination.

"Oh no! Togekiss, are you alright?" Dawn asked, fretting over her pokemon. In response, Togekiss weakly flew back into the air with a determined look on its face. Paul, on the other hand, glared at no one in particular.

"Blizzard", he commanded.

Leaf and Gary both called out, "Dodge it!" Scizor was able to evade the attack by flying away, but Chikorita wasn't so lucky and was hit by the icy move.

"Keep them busy", Leaf told Gary before calling out, "Synthesis!"

Chikorita went to work healing itself, making it very vulnerable to attack. To protect it, Gary commanded, "Surround Chikorita with swift!" Not unlike what Scizor did to Weavile, glowing stars circled around Chikorita, protecting it from outside attacks.

"Chika!" the pokemon cried out, signaling it was done healing.

"Aura sphere!" Dawn issued.

As a blast of power came looming towards Chikorita, Leaf nodded towards Gary again to tell Scizor to pick up Chikorita. Once both of their pokemon were in the air, Leaf cried out, "Body slam!" Chikorita jumped off of Scizor's back and hurtled towards Togekiss. Using its full body weight and momentum to its advantage, Chikorita slammed into Togekiss, who cried out. As Chikorita fell through the air, Scizor flew over and caught it. Togekiss, on the other hand, continued to fall until it landed in a heap on the field.

"Togekiss is unable to battle", the referee decided.

Dawn's face while she returned her pokemon told everyone how disappointed she was. Not in her pokemon, but in herself for not being able to help Togekiss. She then stepped off the field and to the side, waiting for the battle to finish.

"Scizor, x-scissor", Gary commanded.

As it flew in close, Scizor's pincers once again started to glow. Paul, however, had picked up some tricks during this battle.

"Spin and use ice beam", he issued.

While Scizor was steadily approaching, Weavile surrounded itself with ice beam, protecting it from the oncoming pokemon and hitting it as well.

"Scizor", the pokemon cried when hit.

"Weavile- ice shard and aim it at Chikorita."

Leaf commanded, "Run straight at it!" The whole audience gasped. She was sending her Chikorita to certain death by doing this!

Chikorita sprinted towards the ice shard, and just as it was about to hit, Leaf called out, "Spin into body slam!" The grass-type pokemon spun next to the ice shard, wrapping some pieces around itself. The spinning motion, ice shard, and Chikorita's momentum boosted the body slam, causing Weavile to sustain copious amounts of damage.

"Vile!", it cried out.

After the dust caused from the collision faded away, the whole audience watched as Weavile struggled to stand up, legs shaking with the effort. It all, however, was too much, and the dual-type pokemon fainted.

"Weavile is unable to battle. The winners of this battle, as well as today's tournament, are Leaf and Gary. Congratulations!"

Leaf and Gary bowed/curtsied toward the crowd. Leaf then ran towards her Chikorita and grabbed it in a ferocious hug.

"I'm so proud of you", she praised. "You took all those attacks like they were nothing! Thank you." Chikorita nuzzled Leaf's cheek, happy with the praise. After feeding it three of its favorite poffins, Leaf returned the pokemon, promising it a nice, long rest. It was then that Leaf was tackled by her sisters, Dawn included.

"That was awesome, Leaf-y!" May shrieked. "You totally kicked ass!"

"Your Chikorita was so amazing. I can't believe it lasted through both the sky attack and blizzard", Misty said.

"I'll beat you next time" Dawn joked. "Guess this means more training for me. But seriously, you were amazing."

"So were you", Leaf added. May and Misty nodded their heads vigorously, agreeing whole-heartedly with Leaf.

May then brought up a not-so-happy point. "Though I have to say, you and Paul had some communication problems when Weavile shot that ice beam."

Dawn huffed. "It was his ice beam, not mine. Go blame him." She glared at her shoes as if it was their fault.

"We're not blaming anyone, Dawn", Leaf said softly.

Dawn didn't respond for a moment, too busy glaring at her shoes. Then, her navy eyes softened as she looked back up at her sisters. _I know_, she told them.

"What say you guys about going to Genji's tonight for dinner?" Misty asked.

May's sapphire eyes lit up like a kid's during Christmas. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!" She then proceeded to grab her sisters' wrists and tried to pull them towards the door. True, May was strong—stronger than most people twice her age, but she was no match for her three sisters who were each almost equally as fit as her.

"Please you guys", she pleaded. "I'm hungry." May even went so far as to pull out her puppy dog face.

Leaf laughed. "I thought Dawn was the only one who uses that."

"Psshhh. So says the person who was literally begging me for a piece of chocolate yesterday", May shot back.

Dawn joined in, looking only slightly insulted. "I don't use my puppy dog face _that _often." She received blank stares from the other three. "Seriously, I rarely do it!" Her sisters continued to stare at her. "Okay, maybe I do. Can we just drop it?" she pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

"Told you", Leaf said smugly.

"So, are we gonna get going anytime soon?" Misty asked.

This time, May got behind her sisters and started to push them towards the doors. This was slightly difficult, seeing as she only had to hands and there were three of them. Lucky for her, Misty, Dawn, and Leaf weren't putting up much of a fight.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" May whined.

"We're going, May. No need to whine like Misty does when I take her hair out", Dawn said.

"I don't whine!"

May, Leaf, and Dawn started laughing as they made their way to the door, and after a slight pause, Misty joined their hysterics. They started talking about pointless things, and laughed and joked around. They were so caught up in their conversations that they failed to realize that they had just passed Ash, Drew, Gary and Paul. The boys continued to watch the girls laugh and tease each other until they turned a corner, cutting off their view of the sisters.

Gary whistled. "Who knew?"

"Who knew what?" Ash asked, confused.

"That they could act like normal girls."

**Wow….my longest chapter yet. Writing battle scenes is really cumbersome, did you know that? Anyway, I've been outlining the rest of the story, so more action is to come. Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ahhh. I'm so sorry for taking forever to update! My life has been crazy, especially since my whole family was fighting. :( Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and, like always, review!**

**I don't own pokemon.**

**XxxxX**

**Sunday, October 4**

Leaf was sitting in the planning room, idly skimming through the recordings streaming from their marks' base. She went through many of the recordings—the kitchen, pool, dining room, game room—but couldn't detect any sounds. _That's odd_, she thought. She went to the cameras present in Drew's room, but didn't find him there. On she went to Ash, Paul, and Gary's rooms, but none of them were present. Straightening up in her chair, Leaf systematically went through every recorder, her ears peeled for any hint of where the boys were. Finally, she heard Drew's voice in a recording, followed by Ash, Paul, and Gary's. Leaf then heard Drew's next sentence. "_The boss has assigned us to go tonight_."

_Guys? Get down here. Now_, she frantically ordered.

Not even ten seconds later, May, Dawn, and Misty entered the room with questions in their eyes.

"What's up?" Misty asked.

Leaf shushed her sisters then said, "Listen."

"—_at midnight. Bring your pokemon. Guns too, though I don't think it'll come to that. Boss said just to scare them off a bit._"

Then Ash's voice sounded. "_How do we know that Gorvatech will be there?_"

_Gorvatech?_ Misty thought. _Who are they?_

_I'm on it_, Leaf said while simultaneously typing on the computer.

"_The boss hacked the message that said Gorvatech's best squad is supposed to come and light the base on fire"_, Drew's voice responded. "_We're to meet them in the forest about 8 km northwest. Questions?" _There was a slight pause. _"Midnight." _After the scuffling of feet disappeared, no more sound could be heard.

"Leaf, what did you find out about Gorvatech?" May asked.

"There's barely anything about it. All that came up is that it wants to take over the world. Besides that, nothing."

May narrowed her eyes. "We'll have to ask Mark about it later. Right now, we have to do a little planning."

"Oh! Does that mean we're going to spy on their meeting?" Dawn asked.

May nodded. "Only bring your usual two pokemon. We probably won't even need them."

"Guns?" Misty pondered.

"Nope. We're just collecting information."

"There's another thing", Leaf began. "These sound-recorders are helpful, but it'd be so much easier to have a video camera in there so we can see what's going on." Her sisters nodded their heads in affirmation. "We should do that ASAP. Like tonight."

"Good idea", Misty remarked. Slight pause. "When?"

"Hmmmm. What about if I go in 5 minutes before midnight with Leaf energy sourcing so the alarm doesn't sound. Then I'll leave with the boys", Dawn offered.

May looked hesitant. "I don't know… I don't like the idea of you going in there by yourself."

"Please? It'd be a perfect time to practice my shadow manipulation!"

"I guess. But—"

"No buts. I can do this", the bluenette said determinately.

May gave in. "Fine, but if you get hurt, you won't be joining me on any missions. Got it?" she warned.

Dawn nodded.

"Alright guys," Leaf said, changing the topic, "it's 10:52 now. We leave at 11:40. Go prepare." With that, all four girls filed out of the meeting room and went to their respective rooms to get ready for the night.

**11:40 p.m.**

Unknown to the public, four figures were racing down the roads. They were ghosts, travelling at unimaginable speeds and practically invisible to the naked eye. They arrived at the guys' mansion and leaped over an invisible object full of energy—lasers. Only when they reached a window on the east side of the base did the four slow down to a halt. Then, the shortest of the four stepped forward to the window.

_Be careful_, May warned.

_I will_, Dawn responded.

May gripped her sister's arm. _Promise me_.

_I promise._

Dawn took a deep breath then opened the window. Behind her, Leaf was busy converting the sound energy into chemical energy and storing it in her battery, like she did the last time they were here.

Though she had put up a brave front in front of her sisters, Dawn was nervous. This was the first time that she had done something on her own; she had always been accompanied by her sisters. The moment Dawn entered the house, she called upon the shadows to hide her frame from the video cameras that the boys had put up after their last mission. She cautiously walked through each room, taking care to be as silent as May was when she was executing a mission. The bluenette descended a flight of stairs, wincing when one made even a slight sound. At the bottom of the stairs, she took a left, travelled down the hall, took another left, then a right, just as Leaf had told her to do. At the end of the hall was a door, which she opened with care. By this point, Dawn was feeling a bit fatigued from having to conceal herself with darkness, but she shook it off. She took out five tiny video cameras, and stuck one on each wall as well as one on the ceiling. That done, she walked out of the room and back to the stairs. Relieved that she had done her part well, Dawn stopped being so cautious. Just as she was about to climb up the stairs, Dawn froze.

Right in front of her was Paul, dressed in all black, silent as a shadow. He was on the last step of the staircase, and would've walked right into her had she not forced herself to move.

Her heart pounded. She was _this_ close to being caught, but, thankfully, her instincts as well as her power had saved her from detection. Dawn let out a relieved breath, a breath that made a sound in the silent air.

Paul, who had left the stairs and started to walk down the hall, heard something behind him. He whipped around, eyes narrowed and peeled. Invisible to him, Dawn had clasped a hand to her mouth and conjured more darkness around her to prevent the Kroloy member from seeing her. At last, he turned back around and padded down the hallway.

Though Dawn wanted nothing more to just go the opposite direction and hide from Paul, she knew that she had to follow him so that she could exit with them. Dawn stalked the purple-haired man, tailing him until they reached the front door where three other people stood. _The front door_, she silently snorted. _How predictable._

"Dude, what took you so long?" Ash asked.

Paul grunted. "Had to check something."

"Well, better get going", Gary said. He opened the door, and strode out it. Fast as a Deoxys, before anyone else could get through, Dawn bolted through the door, and sprinted to where her sisters were frantically waiting for her. When she reached them, Dawn could feel May's relief in her mind.

_Are you alright? Nothing happened right? You're not hurt, are you? _

_Calm down, May_, Dawn chided. _I'm not hurt. Though there was a close call._ She then proceeded to tell her sisters about her close call with Paul.

_I knew I shouldn't have let you go by yourself. You could've been killed!_

_Be thankful that she wasn't_, Misty said. She then turned toward the bluenette. _But May's right. You shouldn't have let your guard down. Some more training is in order_.

_Fine_, Dawn sighed.

May walked up to Dawn and stared straight into her eyes, then did the same to Leaf. She was examining their fatigue, checking to see if they had strained themselves too much. Fortunately, both were only a little winded.

_Ready to go?_ Misty asked.

_Yep!_

_Uh-huh._

_Let's go_.

The four sisters set off towards the forest at a sprint, then tapered off to a light run to match that of the boys'. They didn't want to be noticed, yet they couldn't afford to lose their marks' position, so the girls stayed about 100 meters behind them, careful to not make a sound. They continued to run for 8 km, or about 5 miles at the comfortable pace when Drew suddenly sprinted to his right, followed almost immediately by Ash, Gary, and Paul. Sprinting in the woods while trying to stay silent was a difficult feat, one that the boys _hadn't_ mastered. May wanted nothing more to sprint after them, but decided against it. Instead, she motioned to her sisters to pick up the speed a bit. They headed in the same direction their marks' did, but immediately stopped when Leaf thrust out her hand.

_I can feel more energy about 75 meters ahead, which means there are others besides Ash, Gary, Paul, and Drew_, she warned.

_Thanks Leaf_, May said. _Let's go forward slowly_.

The four sisters darted behind tree after tree, hiding in their shadows. As the edged closer, May realized that there was a clearing up ahead. When the sisters reached it, they saw Ash, Drew, Gary, and Paul on one end of the clearing while a group of three others, whom they assumed to be Gorvatech members, stood at the other end. May motioned for each of them to take a spot around the clearing—Misty had the northern end, Dawn the south, Leaf eat, and May went to the west. Misty chose to watch from a pond that was conveniently present, entering it slowly and submerging herself until only her eyes showed. Leaf opted to go high, and climbed an evergreen tree, hiding herself within the branches. May stood behind a tree trunk, while Dawn hid herself in the shadow of a giant rock. Once they had settled, the sisters focused their attention on the happenings in front of them.

"Give it up", Drew smirked. "You're playing a losing game."

A guy with white hair on the other side sneered. "Like hell we are. Gorvatech is going to take over the world. Where will you be then?"

Gary scoffed. "Gorvatech take over the world? With losers like you on the team? You're just plain delusional."

"We're not losers! You guys are", a short person, one with red-brown hair said.

"Touchy touchy", Gary mocked.

Then, a guy with dark blue hair shot back, "There are three of us and four of you. That just proves how weak you are."

"I'll show you weak", Paul snarled. He lunged forward, as did the blue-haired person, but both of their comrades held them back.

Ash, the most 'pacifistic' of the group, stepped forward. "How about this—we let one person from each group battle each other. If you guys win, we'll let you past us without a fight. If we win, we get your battler's pokemon. Deal?"

After a bit of deliberation amongst the Gorvatech members, the white-haired guy said, "Deal."

"Who's your battler?" Drew asked.

The blue-haired guy stepped up.

"And yours?"

Ash, Drew, and Gary looked pointedly at Paul, who said nothing as he stepped up.

They wasted no time as both trainers drew out a pokeball.

"Weavile. Stand by for battle", Paul said.

"Yanmega, go!"

"Swords dance", Paul commanded. Weavile span around with its claws raised towards the sky. After it completed its 'dance', Weavile's attack power had grown.

The Gorvatech member called out, "Ancientpower!"

Rocks levitated around Weavile, and then shot toward the pokemon.

"Dodge it, and then run in close." Weavile nimbly avoided the rocks by darting out of the way of each one, landed safely on the ground, then started sprinting towards Yanmega.

"Quick! Air slash!" Yanmega sent out a blade of air towards Weavile, but the feline-like pokemon simply veered right.

When Weavile was close enough, Paul commanded, "Ice beam!"

Weavile used its powerful legs to launch itself into the air, right in front of the bug-flying type. It opened its mouth then shot a blast of ice-cold energy. Coupled with the swords dance, Weavile's high level, and Yanmega's low one, the bug-flying pokemon was out cold.

The Gorvatech members stood there, dumbfounded, wondering how Paul had knocked out their member's pokemon so easily. As the blue-haired trainer returned his pokemon, May's trained eyes caught the clenching of his fist and the narrowing of his eyes. She also caught how his hand strayed toward his belt, and prepared herself in case she had to deflect the bullet. Not because she feared for their marks' safety, but because without them, she wouldn't be able to collect information on Kroloy. So May watched warily, ready to jump up and disarm him. Apparently, though, this blue-haired person decided against shooting the Kroloy members. Instead, with tight lips, he tossed his pokeball over to Paul.

"There you go. Like we said."

Paul just stood there and smirked.

"So, uh," Gary began, "who are the weak ones, again?"

The Gorvatech people decided to not respond to this insult. Instead, they turned around to leave the clearing and go back to where they came from, but not before the white-haired guy said, "Don't think for a moment that this is over. We'll be back."

Drew, Gary, Paul, and Ash watched the Gorvatech team walk away for grouping together.

"Alright guys. Let's head back and report to the boss", Drew said. Then, the four sprinted back towards their base.

_Us too_, May said. Then they were off.

**XxxxX**

"Hey, Mark", the girls chorused as the stood in front of the screen.

"Hello girls. What do you guys have to report?"

"Well," Misty began, "we were going through the recorders that we had put in the marks' base, and learned that they were going to meet up with a group called Gorvatech at midnight, who wanted to burn down the Kroloy base. We followed the Kroloy team, and watched as Paul from Kroloy and someone from Gorvatech battled. Paul won. That was it."

"Oh! And I put in video cameras in their meeting room", Dawn added.

Mark's image in the screen nodded. "Good. Now Gorvatech… I have heard of them, but it's either a new organization or a very weak one."

"Yeah. I checked our site for information about Gorvatech, but nothing came up", Leaf informed her boss.

"Hmmm. Well, we'll have to remedy that. For now, keep an eye out for this Gorvatech and continue collecting information about Kroloy. Speaking of which, have you found out anything new?"

May shook her head.

"That's okay. Try to figure out what sparked this rivalry between Kroloy and Gorvatech. This is important information", Mark said. He then went onto a different topic. "Have you girls continued your training? Just because you're not here at headquarters, doesn't mean you can be slacking on your training."

"Don't worry", May said, "I've been keeping them in shape.

Mark gave an approving nod. "Good, good. Is there anything else to report?"

The sisters looked at each other before gazing back at the screen and shaking their heads.

"Alright then. Be safe, girls." After a slight pause, he added, "I love you."

"We love you too…dad", Dawn responded. She was a little hesitant about adding that last part, but he _was _a father figure to them, and as close a dad as they were going to get.

Mark shot them a smile before the screen went black.

"Well, that was eventful", Leaf commented.

Misty shrugged. "I guess."

Dawn was a little more excited about it than her red-haired sister was. "It was amazing! I love missions! Don't you, May?"

Said sister wasn't really paying attention to the conversation, for she was thinking about other things.

"Earth to May."

"Sorry! I was thinking about something."

"What thing?" Dawn asked.

"Did those Gorvatech members look familiar to you?"

Leaf scratched her head. "No, not really."

May looked at Misty who shook her head. "Nope."

"Now that you mention it, that guy who battled Paul? I think I've seen him somewhere, but it was so dark out that I wasn't sure", Dawn said.

May nodded. "I know what you mean. That white-haired guy… I'm sure I've heard his voice somewhere, but it's fuzzy." She mentally scolded herself. How could she not place him? She was losing her touch. Extra training time for her.

"Well I'm headed to bed", Leaf said. "I'm a little tired from energy sourcing today."

Dawn nodded. "Same. And I need to wash out this dye from my hair." She and Leaf exited the meeting room together, both headed for their rooms.

May then turned to her older sister. "How's it coming along with your mark?"

"Ehh, could be better. But he'll definitely open up to me soon. I can feel it."

"That's good. Paul is…difficult. He won't talk to me in sentences that involve more than one word."

"Really? He talked to Dawn in probably five word sentences on Friday, I think."

May raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Is that so?" Misty nodded. "Huh. I'll have to talk to her about that. Wonder what her secret is."

"Well, Dawn spends hours on clothes and make-up", Misty suggested. "That probably attracts all guys.

"Yeah. Or it could be her, cough, chest-al area that attracts the guys", May joked.

Misty chuckled. "That's definitely a contributing factor."

_Hey!, _a certain someone said in their minds. _I can hear you!_

That just made Misty and May laugh even harder.

**XxxxX**

After a short shower and changing into comfortable sleepwear, May climbed into her bed and lay there for awhile, going over some thoughts concerning her mission.

_Who was Gorvatech?_

_How had Kroloy heard of it, but their own organization, Oaris, hadn't? _

_Why were Kroloy and Gorvatech feuding?_ May could think of plausible reasons, but she needed to know more about Gorvatech, which referred back to the first question.

_Why did those members of Gorvatech look familiar?_ Both May and Dawn felt like they knew a member of Gorvatech. _White hair. White hair. And that voice. I've heard it once… Who has white hair and that voice?_

May, unable to sleep until she figured out who that person was, got up and went onto the roof. She began to pace while taking deep breathes of the fresh air. May needed to clear her head, and the best way to do so was by exercising and training. So she, at around 1 a.m., began to do crunches on the roof of the mansion, clearing her mind and focusing on working her abs. After 150, May sat up and scoured her mind for a person with white hair and that voice. With her mind clear, the answer came easily to May.

_Brendan._

Feeling quite satisfied with herself, May went back inside, splashed her face with cold water, and climbed back into bed. _If Brendan is one of the three, who are the other two?_

She decided to worry about that tomorrow.

**XxxxX**

**So I know that this chapter wasn't very long, but I think it was still pretty good. ;) Review, please! They make me really happy!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello, everyone! I'm still here, though you wouldn't have guessed it since I haven't updated in forever. Please take the time to read this chapter. It really would make my day! :)**

**XxxxXxxxXxxxX**

**Monday, October 5**

"May, it's time to wake up!" Misty yelled. No response. "Ten minutes until school starts!" Silence. "The world's about to end!" Still no sign of life. "I made waffles!" Five seconds later, a red blur jumped from the staircase to the bottom and nearly flew to kitchen where it proceeded to stuff her mouth with waffles. May was absolutely ravenous. It was only when she swallowed her fourth waffle when Leaf commented,

"You're usually up by now, you know, exercising."

"Yeah, yeah. I worked out some last night before going to bed, so you can't accuse me of skipping a workout. You, on the other hand, could use some body-bridges", she said whilst poking Leaf's stomach.

"Don't accuse me! My stomach is as hard as emerald. Go poke Dawn's stomach!"

"What about my stomach?"

"Oh nothing. It's just that someone's getting a little flabby", Misty informed her.

"Flabby? Me? I'm not the one shoving carbs down my throat!"

May rolled her eyes. "Who's got the six-pack?"

Slight pause. "Alright, Ms. Abs-of-steel. You win this round."

"That's what I thought", she smirked, "And if you really want these abs like I think you do, you'll be working out with me tonight."

"Fine…." Dawn said with a pout.

**XxxxXxxxXxxxX**

**Room 240**

"I hope everyone had a splendid weekend", Professor Soledad stated. "As today is Monday, the start of a new week, the theme of the week's contest and battle will be revealed. This week, all trainers and coordinators will be required to use a fire-type pokemon. It doesn't matter if your pokemon is a pure fire-type or not. If you do not have one, you can borrow one from a friend, or you may speak to the Day-Care Counselor and rent a pokemon for the week. Yes, Anna?"

"Will this be a tag battle like last week?" she asked, whilst shooting glances at Drew.

Soledad shook her head. "No. This week's contest and battle will be done by individuals. Anymore questions?" After a pause and no more hands raised, she continued, "Very well. Seeing as this is AP Appeals Strategies, your homework will be to create a list with a minimum of fifteen ways to best showcase your fire-type pokemon during the appeals round. This can be through grooming, combinations, poffins, etc. You have the rest of the period to work, and I expect you to put a lot of thought into these lists. You may work with others, but don't copy down what the other says word-for-word. After all, you want to stand out to the judges." The students immediately stood up and went to sit by their friends, gossiping about the contest, though straying from the class assignment.

Since May and Dawn were already sitting next to each other, they simply turned to face one another. "I'm guessing you're going to use Quilava."

"Yeah. I mean, I don't have any other fire-type on hand. Though I could phone Ma—I mean, dad", Dawn quickly amended, "and have him send over another. But I'm perfectly fine with Quilava. He needs to stretch his legs anyway."

May nodded thoughtfully. "Quilava would be a good choice. You need to perfect his flame charge anyway."

"You're right! Well in that case, Quilava it is!" Dawn exclaimed joyfully. "What about you? Are you going with the big boy?"

"I'm not sure… He would definitely attract a lot of attention. Though, it _has_ been awhile since he's been in a real battle."

Meanwhile, Drew, who sat on the other side of Dawn, was carefully listening to the conversation between the sisters while putting up the façade of working on the assignment. _Big boy, huh. I wonder what pokemon that could be. Can't be anything too big, or she couldn't handle it. It's probably a small Tepig to match her tiny Skitty._

"I might just call dad too and switch him out. We'll see. Though he wouldn't appreciate it", she laughed softly.

Dawn asked, "He, who? Dad or the big boy?"

"Both. Remember last time I switched him out? He set fire to the room dad was in because he couldn't find me! Dad was pretty mad that we had to replace the table. And the T.V. And the chairs. And the—"

"I remember. But the he's matured since then. So there's no need to worry!"

May shrugged while fiddling with her ring. "But he's a bit _too_ noticeable, I mean—". She was interrupted by a cough, which caused her to glare at the cougher while Dawn whipped around to face him, too.

"Yes, Drew?" the brunette asked, a touch of annoyance gracing her voice.

"Well", he began, "I couldn't help but overhear—"

"I bet he could", May muttered to Dawn, who covered her small mouth and giggled.

"—that you plan on using a pokemon that would be rather memorable. Care to share which pokemon that is?"

"Hmmm," May pretended to contemplate. "Nope."

"I think that's your cue to stop talking", the ever-so-helpful bluenette suggested. When Drew turned to glare at her, Dawn remarked, "Wow. You and May just love to glare don't you?"

They both glared at her.

"Dawn-y", May said with a sugary voice, "I can't wait to work out tonight with you. Aren't you excited to run with me?" _And by run, I mean sprinting a 5k_, she sent to Dawn.

The bluenette visibly gulped. "No need to worry?"

**XxxxXxxxXxxxX**

There was _definitely_ need to worry, Dawn commented to herself that night. After sprinting the promised 5k, there was an ab workout. Then an arm workout. Some more abs. Another run. _I hate exercising._

"But Dawn-y, didn't you want the six-pack?"

"Not if it means I have to sweat like a Tepig", she groaned.

May raised then dropped her shoulders. "You win some, you lose some. Anyway, let's go visit Misty and Leaf." They walked over to the pool next to Misty's room, where the mentioned sister was taking Leaf through a swimming workout. Misty seemed to glide through the water as she effortlessly dodged Leaf's attempts to catch her. When the ginger noticed the presence of her two other sisters, she blew into a whistle, signaling to Leaf that the drill was over.

"Looking good out there" May nodded approvingly.

Leaf smiled from her perch on the side of the pool. "Thanks. How was your workout?"

"Mew, it was awful! May made me run so much! And my abs are already sore!" Dawn complained.

"I remember those workouts with May. She's such a _loving _sister", Misty joked.

"Why are you talking in past tense? We're gonna work out as group in, for Dawn's sake, two days." All the sisters, with the exception of the bluenette, laughed.

"Why do you guys always pick on me?"

Leaf smirked. "Cause you're the youngest."

"What she said", Misty affirmed. "Now all of you get out. I need to work on my waterbending."

"Aye aye, captain", Leaf joked as she effortlessly raised herself out of the pool and made her way over to the towel that was waiting on a bench. She wrapped it around herself before grabbing Dawn's hand and walked to the door. "Tell me more about your gruesome workout." And so the two went—one with blue hair gesturing violently with her hands while one with brown hair laughed heartily.

As they left, May turned to Misty. "How's your waterbending coming?"

"Pretty good! I've almost got the hang of freezing the water. Wanna see?" Without waiting for a reply, Misty raised a ball of water and breathed frosty mist onto it. It took several breaths for the orb to freeze completely, but it was certainly an accomplishment. She handed the object over to May for proof.

"Impressive", she complimented while turning it over in her hands.

Misty blushed. "Thanks. How's your skill coming?"

May raised a brow. "Which one?"

"Both? Either?"

"They're coming. The telekinesis could use a bit more work. But the…_other_…has been perfected for awhile. I use it so often, it has to be perfect. You know that, Misty." This was said in a perfectly even tone, but May avoided her sisters' teal eyes. She couldn't show any weakness.

"May—", Misty began softly.

"It's fine. You go work on your waterbending. As Dawn would say, no need to worry!" It was then, after she had control over her emotions, that she met Misty's gaze. "Night, Misty!"

"Night."

**XxxxXxxxXxxxX**

**Tuesday, October 6**

**Room 133**

The class had been told to find a partner and battle against him/her using only fire-types, in honor of the battle at the end of the week. Misty sighed, and slowly made her way to Professor Wake to tell him that she had no fire-type in her arsenal. Her path, however, was cut off by a boy with a Pikachu.

"Hiya, Mist!"

Misty blinked at him, taking a few seconds to process the nickname he gave her. "Hey, Ash. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to partner with me. Paul and Gary are already working together. And I know you're a good trainer from the tag battles last week."

Misty paused slightly, taking in this information. "Well, thanks. But I can't."

Ash's wide smile seemed to wilt a bit. "Oh. That's cool. Umm, I'll just find someone else…"

"It's not that I don't want to partner with you. I do!" she blurted out before looking at her shoes, embarrassed.

"It's not?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course not, Ash. It's just that…I'm a water-type specialist, so I don't have any fire-type pokemon. And even if I were to borrow one, I have no idea how to battle with it!" She looked around, embarrassed with her confession.

Ash stood there for a moment, thinking, then pumped his fist into the air when an idea came to him. "I got it!"

A full minute went by. "You wanna tell me what you got?"

"Oh. Right," he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You can borrow one of my pokemon, and I'll help you get familiar with him."

Misty stared at him, speechless, for the second time in five minutes. "You would do that for me?" she asked in a small voice.

"Of course I would. Unlike Paul, Gary, and Drew, I'm not a total douche."

"I'll have to take you up on that offer. When should we train?"

"Tonight?", he suggested. "I'll meet you in the computer room in the library. Does seven work for you?"

"That's fine with me."

"Cool. I'll tell you about my pokemon now, then. I have a Torkoal, who's got a real mean overheat…."

**XxxxXxxxXxxxX**

**May's POV**

I marched over to Misty's room, my blood boiling with anger. I overheard her conversation with Ash this morning, and I didn't like what I heard. Not one bit. How dare she get close to Ash in such a way? Did she want to jeopardize our mission?

_MISTY!_

When I found her reading a book in a chair, she had the audacity to look confused.

"What's wrong, May? Did Mark call?"

"What the hell was that with Ash, Misty? Do you want to get in trouble with Oaris?"

My sister winced. "Okay, okay, I know what I'm doing is wrong. But all he wanted to do was help me!"

I was hurt by this comment. "I could've helped you."

"Oh, I know you would have. But May, can't you see? I can get close to him this way and learn stuff about him! I can learn about his habits, his pokemon, and his weaknesses."

"I can see that. But can't you see that this will just lead to friendship?"

She sighed. "For the sake of this mission, I promise that I'll refuse to befriend him. But May, would it really be all that bad if Ash and I were friends?"

I looked at her. Really looked at her. Oh, how I wanted to comfort Misty, and tell her that she could be his friend. But in our world, the world of death and deception, it was impossible. "You can answer that question yourself when you kill him."

**XxxxXxxxXxxxX**

**Hey everyone! Long time no see! I'm sorry for not updating in what, like 4 months? Losing my notebook with all my ideas for the story, my sister getting in trouble with the law, schoolwork, and sports are just a few of the reasons why I haven't been here. But I'm going to try to update again! Though I can't promise you it'll be frequent, since track is starting in about 2 weeks. But please, review this chapter. Let me know if it's worth my time to continue this story. Thank you to everyone who's still reading this story! It really does mean a lot to me.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Authors Note: **Hey everyone! I hope you haven't given up on me, because I refuse to give up on this story, no matter how long it takes me! Now that it's finally summer and track seasons is kind-of over, I'll definitely have more time to work on this story. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with it so far, and thank you to the new readers who are willing to spend their time reading this! And, as always, reviews are appreciated.

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><p><strong>Thursday, October 8<strong>

May was sitting in the planning room, idly skimming through the little information there was on Paul Shinji. Nothing new or different from what she'd already committed to memory. With nothing to keep her occupied, she moved the cursor over to the search bar and quickly typed in "Hayden, Drew. Kroloy". But before she could hit the search button her cell phone vibrated. Immediately recognizing the sender of the text, May minimized the tab on the computer and used it to call Mark.

"Hello, May."

"Hi. What's with the urgency at 11 at night?" she asked, and wondering why she was the only sister Mark had asked for.

"Are you alone?" he asked. May did a quick check before nodding her head. "I need you to go on a special mission for me. We have uncovered the coordinates of the Kroloy headquarters, and I need you to scout the area for me tonight. Once you have done so, immediately report back to me."

"Yes sir. Is there anything in particular that I am to look for?"

Mark shook his head. "Nothing as of yet. But do keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious. I want you to travel by yourself with only one of your pokemon. You may tell your sisters where you're going, but do not allow any of them to go with you." May understood her boss' logic: the scouting had to be swift and mistake-free. Since she was the best, she should be the one to go. "The coordinates will be relayed to you shortly."

May stood up, already preparing to leave. "Understood. I'll call you soon."

"Good luck. Make me a proud father", Mark said.

She nodded, though in the back of her mind, she kept thinking: _Adoptive father. Not my real one._ May then ended the call. As she was about to leave, her eyes were drawn to the window that had popped up on her screen. The window with the search bar and Drew's name. Shaking her head as if warding off an unwanted thought, May quickly exited out of the window and strode out of the room.

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><p>After the mission, May found herself lying in her bed on the verge of sleep. She had reported back to Mark about her findings, and was able to filch a map from one of the Kroloy guards. After sending her boss a copy of said map, May was sent back to Kroloy's base to steal any and all information they had regarding Oaris. The entire process had taken over three hours, and the constant use of her powers had drained all of her energy. As she thought about what she did that night, May found herself tossing in bed and unable to sleep. She hated using her second power, but she had trained for years to master it. Mark had told her that it was a necessity, and that it was what made her the best assassin that he'd ever seen, but that was little comfort. <em>Do I really want to be the best assassin? Am I only meant for killing?<em> Not willing to ponder the question again, May commanded herself to sleep.

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><p><strong>Friday, October 9<strong>

"_Was out late last night. Not going to school today. Tell Fantina and Wallace I'm sorry – May_" read the note that was sitting on the kitchen counter. Leaf quickly told the rest of her sisters this piece of information, ensuring that none of them would wake the resting May.

**Dawn's POV**

"I'm so sorry Professor, but May couldn't come to school today", I apologized on May's sister's behalf.

"Oh, eet eesn't a problem. I just hope zat she knows eet might cause her to lose weening Contest Queen at zee Autumn Ball", Professor Fantina responded.

"I'll be sure to remind her of this. Thanks!" I carefully walked away in my orange heels, mindful of the slippery floor. I had dressed in a yellow and orange sundress, with the intent of matching Quilava and the theme in today's contest. Once I sat down, I immediately pulled out Quilava's pokeball and polished its surface until it shined. Then I put it in a ball capsule and placed a blue fire seal on its center. "Perfect!" I exclaimed. Then, I went to sit with the rest of the audience to watch the boys' contest.

**Drew's POV**

I sat backstage, pleased with how my appeal had gone. I waited until all 42 contestants finished their appeals so we could learn of who would continue on to the battle round. Of course, it's not like I had any doubt that I would continue on. After all, I _am_ the best male coordinator at this school. I know that I was going to win Coordinator King as the Autumn Ball no sweat. Why was I even at the Battle Tower? It's not like I was even improving my coordinating skills. But of course, I had to stay because of the mission…

"Oh look at how handsome he is!" I heard to my left. Without turning my head, I knew that it was just another group of fangirls fawning over me, no doubt. Girls these days are just too predictable. Whatever happened to girls who were unique and mysterious? Apparently, not existed in this place. Except for maybe one girl…one of those new girls. May, was it? Maybe I'll stay for the girls' contest to watch her. I mean, not because I'm interested in her. Arceus, no. I'll just stay so to get an idea as to who the Contest Queen will be. _You're not convincing anyone Drew_…

**ONE HOUR LATER**

I found myself in the audience again, with another win secured under my belt. Rapidash had performed magnificently, and none of the other contestants stood a chance. I really wish there was some true competition at this school. I loved contests—contests and mission were my favorite past times. Sadly, no one here is nearly as competent as I.

"And here's our first contestant: Elissa!"

Oh right, the girls' contest. I watched with disinterest as the first ten or so girls presented their mediocre appeals. Then came that bluenette who had been talking to me every since she saw me. She never knew when to give up, just like all those other fangirls… She presented a Quilava, and had a pretty good appeal. Once she left the stage, boredom once again set in. I wouldn't say I was waiting for the brunette to appear on stage, but rather… Oh, who am I kidding? I was waiting for her appeal.

"And that's the last of the appeals! Please stay in your seats as the judges confer and decide who will continue on to the battle rounds!"

What? Had I missed her? No, I was sure I hadn't. Where was she, then? I knew she was planning on participating. I remember her deliberating on whether or not to use the 'big boy', and though I would never admit it out loud, I was intrigued as to who the 'big boy' was. I had not sat there for an hour for her to not have shown up! The nerve.

Storming backstage, I quickly scanned the contestants, but couldn't find the brunette. I did, however, single out Dawn, her sister. I nonchalantly approached her, and asked in a low voice, "Where is she?" I was trying to be discreet, not wanting to show that I cared as to where May was. Either I wasn't as discreet as I thought, or she was more perceptive than I gave her credit for.

"First off, what're you doing here? This is the girls' contest!" she said, perking a brow. "Second, 'she' who?"

I narrowed my eyes I annoyance. "You know who."

"Do I really? You may have to remind me", she singsonged.

After a moment's hesitation, I acquiesced. "May."

Another perk of her brow. "What's it to you where May is?" She seemed generally interested. Damn, I looked weak.

"Nothing. I bet she was too embarrassed to show off her pitiful pokemon, the useless coordinator that she is", I drawled.

Dawn huffed. Clearly, she did not like that I had insulted her sister, but who was I to care? I flicked my hair and started to walk away before I heard her innocently inquire, "Really, why do you ask?"

_Can't look weak_, I told myself. "Like I said, no reason."

When she smirked, I immediately scowled. "Tough. If you actually had a reason, I would've told you. Try being truthful next time. It might get you somewhere." And before I could make another remark, she turned away to care for her pokemon, a clear dismissal.

**Misty's POV**

"…the winner of this round is Jack! Congratulations!"

I smiled at Jack, my opponent, silently congratulating him on his victory. I then returned Torkoal, the pokemon I had borrowed from Ash. "Thank you so much. You were amazing." I then shuffled back to the audience to watch the rest of the battle rounds.

I couldn't help but feel thankful for all the time and effort Ash put into helping me work with his Torkoal. He was just so kind about it, never once annoyed that I was unable to feel fully comfortable with the fire pokemon. How could anyone as mellow and compassionate as him be part of Kroloy, an assassin's organization?

"_This is Torkoal, Mist." I blushed when I remembered the nickname he gave me._ "_He's super chill. Go on, say hi to him!"_

_I hesitantly approached the fire-type. "Tork!" he greeted. I gave a small smile when he sniffed and nuzzled my outstretched hand._

"_He's so…dry", I remarked. "All of my water pokemon are so slippery compared to him."_

"_Well, he _is _a fire pokemon. And such a hard worker, aren't ya boy?" he said while fondly patting Torkoal's head. "Now why don't we try some moves? Keep in mind that Torkoal doesn't have the greatest speed, but he definitely makes up for it with his amazing defense." I nodded, showing I understood. "Now, tell him to use Flamethrower!"_

"_Alright. Flamethrower?" The command seemed foreign on my tongue. It apparently seemed foreign to Torkoal, too, who cocked his head at the questionable command._

"_Mist, remember to be decisive. If you're doubtful, then so is he."_

_I flushed in shame. I knew that was true, after all, I was water pokemon master! I just felt so uncomfortable with the fire-type. Fire wasn't my best friend…_

_Ash seemed to sense my hesitation, for he came to stand before me and put both his hands on my shoulders. "I know you don't feel comfortable with Torkoal," he said softly, "but I promise, he won't hurt you. I believe that you can do it, and I want you to believe that you can do it too!" I nodded, lost in his soft, brown eyes. "Try it again. And this time, really mean it!" Ash then stepped back, giving me a wide berth. For some strange reason, I felt cold without his hands on my shoulders anymore. I shook my head, knowing how disappointed May would be in me right now._

"_Let's try again, Torkoal! Flamethrower!" This time, Torkoal understood me and shot a brilliant stream of fire from his mouth. I beamed, and when I turned to Ash, the smile on his face caused me to flush again._

"_That's the way to do it, Mist!" And before I knew it, he took my hands and started to dance in circles with me. I knew that my cheeks rivaled the color of my hair, but I couldn't help but laugh and dance along with him. I'm sorry, May, I thought, but I just don't care anymore._ _I felt warm and happy with Ash, and I knew that he felt the same._

When I finally snapped back into present time, I saw Leaf battling against Paul, and automatically felt sympathetic for her. I would hate to battle him, the scary person that he was. Her Vulpix wasn't faring well against his Magmortar, who had to be at least 20 times larger. Still, I cheered her on.

"Yeah Leaf! You got this!"

Sadly, though, with a powerful Lava Plume on Magmortar's part, Vulpix was knocked out. I saw Leaf's put out face, but knew that she wouldn't hold a grudge for long. _Come meet me in the audience when you're ready_, I told her.

By the time that she sat down next to me, the semi-finals had begun. The first battle, between Paul and Gary, was taking place.

"Hey good job, Leaf", I told her.

"Yeah yeah. I know that poor Vulpix was terrified was she saw Paul's Magmortar. That's besides that point, though. For your first time ever using a fire-type, you were great!"

I laughed. "Right. It was kind of embarrassing."

"Oh stop, silly. No one can blame you."

I turned to face her, when I noticed how intently she was watching the battle. Either she was generally interested in the battle, or she was generally interested in one of the trainers. I went with the latter. When she noticed my stare, Leaf immediately narrowed her eyes at the smirk on my face.

"What's with the face?"

"What face?"

"You know, the one you're wearing right now."

"You mean the smirk that I'm wearing cause you're so interested in how Gary's battling? I've heard of it", I teased.

Leaf immediately blushed. "I'm not interested on how he's battling", she said in full denial.

"Leaf, please. I'm your sister, and therefore I know when you're crushing on someone."

"Oh stop. It's not like you don't focus all your attention onto a certain Ashy-boy."

"H-hey. Don't turn this around on me! And since when do you say 'Ashy-boy'? Looks like a certain someone is rubbing off on you!"

My sister blushed even more. "How about we both just admit that we're interested in our respective targets' battles, okay?"

"Okay", I said, pleased that she'd admitted her interest in Gary. I then noticed that she was at the edge of her seat, mentally willing Gary to beat Paul.

"You know," I began, "you can cheer him on. I won't judge you."

Leaf rolled her eyes at me, but didn't object. "Come on, Gary! You got this!"

I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling.

**Leaf's POV**

"And the winner of today's fire-type battle is…Gary Oak! Congratulations Gary!"

Yes! He did! I was about to rush down and congratulate him, when I remembered that my older sister was sitting right next to me, able to read my mind.

"Umm, sorry that Ash lost today", I said, not really knowing what else to say.

Misty simply chuckled at me. "Oh stop. I'm not May; just hurry over and congratulate him."

I beamed, so thankful that Misty understood the position that I was in. I rushed down that stairs, before remembering that I was supposed to be annoyed with Gary at the moment. Serves him rights for looking up my skirt earlier today… Nevertheless, I made my way over to where the trainers were gathered.

Appearing to be nonchalant, I actually went over to Paul. "Your Magmortar was really powerful! How ever did you train it to be so good?" I noticed in the corner of my eye that Gary was watching the two of us 'converse'.

"Hours of practice", was all I got back.

"I bet. Still, you really gave me a great battle!"

A grunt from the purple-haired statue.

Then, _someone_ put his hand on my shoulder. Resisting the urge to throw said person onto their back, I calmly brushed the hand away and turned toward its owner.

"Yes?" I asked.

Gary was dumbfounded. "Uh, aren't you going to congratulate me on my win?"

"Actually, I was thinking more that I'd congratulate your Arcanine on its win." Wow, did I sound like Drew or what?

Yep, he was definitely dumbfounded. "B-but I was the one who trained it to be so powerful!"

"Hmm, I guess so. Well then congrats." I didn't dare give him the idea that I had actually cheered him on during his battle. He would have teased me to no end. But I decided to pity him a little bit. "You were great, too. I can tell you trained your Arcanine well."

"Of course I have. Caught him in Kanto, and he's been a real asset to my team. Though my Umbreon is my pride and joy. Had him when he was first an Eevee. He blends in the shadows really well and is super fast, so he loves to sneak up on me", he said fondly.

_Blends into the shadows, huh? I can guess which pokemon he uses on all his missions._

I noticed that Misty was about finished talking to Ash and was returning Torkoal to him.

"Thank you, again, for letting me borrow Torkoal", I heard her say.

"It was my pleasure." I inwardly smiled, so happy that Misty was happy. She deserved it.

"Well, I'm about to take off now, and see how May's doing at home", I told Gary. "But first—have you seen Dawn around?"

**Dawn's POV**

"No need to worry! I'm right here!" I chirped as I trotted towards Leaf and Misty. "I told you I'd find you before we left!" I perked an eyebrow at how close Misty and Ash were, but didn't say anything. Instead, I asked, "Who won?"

Gary couldn't help but boast. "I did."

"Oh. That's surprising." I said bluntly.

"Why's that?" Gary asked, his ego obviously bruised.

"Well, I thought that Paul would win. He seems like the strongest one out of you three." Wait, did I really just complement him? Why in the world of pokemon would I do that?

Said trainer, who had been standing their passively, raised his head at the mention of his name. When we made eye contact, I couldn't help but stare into his eyes. My breathe caught in my throat at their depth, and I couldn't bring myself to look away. Thankfully, however, Paul broke the moment by smirking at Gary.

"A-anyway," I coughed to clear my throat, "we should hurry home. I bet May's expecting us. I want to tell her all about my win!" And with that, I grabbed both Leaf and Misty's hand and just about dragged them out of the building.

"What's with the force, Dawn?" Misty asked.

"Force? Oh! I'm just in a hurry to see how May's doing", I lied.

Leaf rolled her eyes. "Right. And I'm the queen on Unova. I bet it has something to do with Pa-aul."

I threw a punch at her, which she easily dodged. "N-no it doesn't!" Leaf sent me her all-knowing look. "It really doesn't!" Hand on her hip. "I promise you it doesn't!" She began to roll up her sleeves. "Okay okay. Don't hurt me! Maybe it does have a teeny tiny bit to do with him."

"I knew it!" Leaf said, pumping her fist into the air.

"But don't tell May!" I said suddenly. "Can you imagine how mad she'd at me?"

This time, it was Misty who said, "Dawn, we promise we won' tell her. Because we're kind of in the same situation as you are right now."

"Really?" I gasped in disbelief. "Thank Arceus! I thought I was alone in this!" Then, sadly, I realized that May was the one who was alone in all this. "May will find out anyway, won't she?"

"Yes, yes she will."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I hope that this chapter has lived up to your expectations! Lemme know if there's anything you want to see in the coming chapters. Please review! They make my day!


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Each one reminded me why I love this story so much! I'm hoping that I will be able to update weekly, and I will try my very hardest to make this a reality. Enjoy this chapter, and please, review! I _promise _to update if you all review! ;)

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><p><strong>Friday, October 9<strong>

**Sometime after school…**

Misty, Leaf, and Dawn quietly walked into the house, in fear of waking up their other sister. However, their efforts were in vain because said sister was in the kitchen, stuffing food into her mouth. When May noticed her company, she simply gave them a head nod and went back to her food: pechaberry muffins. She wasn't quite ready to face the day, it seemed, for her hair wasn't brushed and she was still in her pajamas. Nevertheless, her sisters approached her, intent on learning what May had discovered the night before. May was reticent to speak when she was hungry, and ignored Misty, Leaf, and Dawn until she had finished her food.

After she swallowed, May said, "I'm guessing you want to know what I found out yesterday."

"How in the world did you guess that?" Leaf mock-gasped.

"Just a lucky guess I suppose. Anyway, it was basically like any other organization's headquarters. Well guarded, though their guards switch every two hours, unlike ours. To enter, they have to scan their eyes and fingerprints. I did spot a keyhole, but no one used it. I stole a map, too. Take a look." May passed copies of the map around to her sisters. "Seven floors. Really simple layout."

"And the information they had about Oaris?" Misty asked while scanning the map.

"They know some stuff about Oaris, but not enough to hurt. Like, they have no idea that we're based in Sinnoh, which is a huge plus. But they _do_ know of Misty, Leaf, and I. I'm guessing since you haven't been on any huge missions yet," May directed at Dawn, "they don't have any information about you, which is good. Kroloy knows that Oaris holds one of the best assassins, and that keeps them on edge. A separate file from the ones holding information about us actually had information about that assassin. So they haven't pieced together that I'm actually the one they're looking for."

The sisters took a minute or two to process this. "That's…actually a lot better than I expected!" Misty voiced.

"Yeah. They must not be very good if they haven't documented more information about Oaris", said Leaf. "Makes me wonder why we're going after Kroloy when it's obvious that they're not that strong."

"Huh. I never thought about that." May pondered the idea a bit in her head, but she couldn't think of a reason either.

"On a different note," Dawn chimed in, "I have an idea! May, why don't you and I switch targets?"

May wore a confused look that almost immediately turned into a suspicious one. "Why would we do that?"

"Well, for one, Paul actually responds to me with sentences. And two, a certain someone showed large amounts of interest in you today!" Dawn just about sang this last part.

"A 'certain someone' as in Drew?" May scoffed. "Please, we hate each other's guts. It's best if we stick to the marks we chose at the beginning of the mission."

"I'm not kidding! He really was interested in you! He asked where you were today, but didn't make any conversation with me. He's definitely more inclined to talk to you than to me!"

May paused and thought this over. It _would_ make sense if they switched, for some reason, May couldn't shake the idea in her head that Dawn was doing this for reasons outside of the mission. "Are these the only reasons?"

"Of course!" Dawn immediately responded, almost a bit too quickly. "Why else would I suggest we switch? Who would want Paul?"

"True that", May laughed. "Alright, we'll switch. I'll just text Mark to let him know." She proceeded to pull out her multi-purpose "cell phone" and shot their dad a text. A minute later, he responded. "Mark says it's fine, but to make sure that we make the most out of this change. He expects that we learn more about them now."

* * *

><p>The days at the Battle Tower seemed extremely repetitive to the sisters. Monday, they would learn about the week's theme for the battles and contests. They'd spend the next three days planning for Friday, the day of the event. Time passed slowly, especially since the amount of missions they were given lulled down to nothing. They suffered through it, though, and learned about each of the boys.<p>

Ash, for example, loved chocolate cake and hated strawberry ice-cream. His hat was sentimental—a gift from his mother that he almost always wore. His mother's name was Delia and Ash loved her to pieces, though he rarely saw her due to the fact that she lived all the way over in Pallet Town.

Dawn learned that Paul had a secret love for chocolate bars when she discovered one in his pencil pouch. He was also surprisingly good with technology; he could take a watch apart and put it back together. Dawn was willing to be that he could do more things with this knowledge than just piecing a watch back up. She also suspected that he liked the scent of mint, so she started to wear mint-scented lipgloss more often.

Gary was exceptionally good at martial arts and the like. Leaf had "accidentally" ran into him, and he was able to maintain his balance without breaking a sweat. He had no siblings and hated getting his hair cut. When Leaf asked him about his necklace, however, he quickly changed the topic, so she suspected it had some sort of sentimental value.

And Drew. May had learned very little about his personal life. Sure, his favorite color was green and he liked chocolate milk more than the regular person. But May wasn't able to scratch much further than the surface of Drew's being. He was an only child, but not once did he mention his parents. He loved coordinating, and May suspected his love of coordinating stemmed from his love of beautiful things. Of course, she'd never tell him this theory because he would vehemently deny it with every fiber of his being.

Misty, Leaf, and Dawn learned that their respective marks were pretty evenly matched when it came to straightforward battles. May couldn't say the same about Drew because she hadn't seen him in an actual battle since the day she had battled all four of them at once. But Drew said the real powerhouse was Paul, and that no one really knew that because rarely did he ever put in more than 70% effort into the battles at school. They all knew that Paul wasn't one for popularity or attention, so he didn't try as hard as Ash or Gary did. But Drew was always winning the guys' contests, much to every other male coordinator's disappointment. May won most of the girls' contests, and if she wasn't the winner, then she was runner-up to Dawn. Misty and Leaf often dominated the girls' battles as well, always neck in neck with each other. Eventually, in November, each student's points were totaled up to determine the Kings and Queens of the Autumn Ball. Some of the people chosen were obvious, while others were a tossup between a few people.

* * *

><p><strong>Friday, November 10<strong>

"_Attention, students. As you know, no contests or battles were held this week and none will be held for the following two weeks, all in preparation for the upcoming Autumn Ball. We have officially tallied up everyone's points and chosen this year's nominees for King and Queen. The list will be posted at the conclusion of today's school day on the local bulletin board, located by the attendance office. Thank you for your patience and have a wonderful day!"_

As the announcement faded out, Room 217, Professor Winona's homeroom, grew alive with conversation. Girls all around were discussing who they thought would win, who had already been asked by who, and what color their dresses were. Guys, on the other hand, were playfully shoving each other in certain girls' directions, trying to get the other to ask a girl to the dance.

"Ah! I'm so excited for the Autumn Ball! I can_not_ wait two more weeks for it!" Dawn squealed.

"I think you're gonna have to", Leaf laughed.

"And news flash," May said, "you don't have a date yet. Didn't you say a week ago that you'd only go if you had a date?"

Dawn repeatedly poked her index fingers together. "Yeah… About that. I figured that I care more about dressing up than getting asked!" She paused for a moment, then said, "I'm guessing we're all going to go date-less, so we'll have fun together!"

Just as she said that, Ash approached where the four sisters sat.

_Actually_, Leaf thought to her sisters,_ we're not all going to go date-less. I'm pretty positive that Misty's planning on going with someone._

_Oohhh_, Dawn thought. _No fair!_

_Shut up you guys_. Misty's ears were matching her hair color. _You don't know for sure that that's why he's here_.

_Uh-huh. You keep telling yourself that_, Leaf said.

May decided not to join in on the conversation because she didn't want to be a downer. She had thought it over in her head a few weeks, and just didn't have the heart to force her sisters to stop being friends with their targets. May didn't necessarily approve of her sisters' antics, but she wouldn't be the one to tell them no. She just wanted them to be happy and to have the love of friendship. May acquiesced to going as far as becoming friends with the guys, but she drew the line there. She knew that if any of them fell in love with their respective marks, they risked ruining the entire mission. May knew that above all, Oaris came first. It was what Mark had drilled into her head the moment she became a member of Oaris. Becoming friends was risky enough, but falling in love? That was certainly a risk that May was not willing to let any of her sisters take.

"Hey Mist", Ash said, then coughed to clear his voice. Leaf and Dawn giggled at the nickname.

"Oh hey Ash! What's up?"

"Nothing much", he responded. They noticed that he was subtly rubbing his hands on his jeans, wiping of the sweat. "So", he looked nervously back over to wear his friends were sitting, as if asking them for help. Gary motioned for him to get on with it. "So, are you, um, excited for the Autumn Ball?"

Misty's eyes lit up. "Yes! But, I would be even more excited if I got asked to the dance."

"Oh. Cool", Ash responded dumbly. "See you around!" And then he quickly sprinted back to his table. They watched him getting advice from Gary, who was telling him to "man up" and "just ask her". After a few more seconds of the pep talk, Ash rushed back over to their table and stood right in front of Misty.

"Doyouwannagotothedancewithme?" Then he ran right back over to his table.

"You idiot!" the sisters heard Gary say. "You gotta stay for the answer!"

Ash moaned. "I forgot!" When he finally returned for Misty's answer, he was shaking with nervousness and fidgeting around. "So, what do you think?" he asked tentatively.

"Of course I'll go with you, Ash! I'd love to!" Misty answered, a huge smile on her face.

"Do you mean it, Mist?" When she nodded, he pumped his fist into the air. "Yes! Thankyouthankyouthankyou. I promise we'll have such a great time!" He smiled at her, a wide, beaming smile and then walked back to Gary, Paul, and Drew. Gary and Drew bumped fists with him while Paul shot him a smirk.

When Misty turned back to her sisters, she was also met with congratulations and smiles, even from May. Her cheeks were red, but she didn't care. She was going to the Autumn Ball!

"Can I do your hair? And make-up? And be there when you pick out your dress? Please Misty?" Dawn pleaded.

"Of course, Dawn. I would've asked you anyway", Misty agreed. "But only one condition—nothing crazy or over-the-top."

"I'll keep it toned down. No need to worry!"

"Good." After a huge pause, all four of them began to giggle uncontrollably and they unconsciously morphed into regular teenage girls, gossiping about the perfect blue dress for Misty.

* * *

><p><strong>End of the school day<strong>

Swarms of girls were huddled by the attendance office, frantically waiting for the list for Autumn Ball King and Queen nominees to be posted. Some guys were there, too, though they weren't nearly as excited as the girls were. Finally, Professor Fantina glided toward the crowd, which magically parted to make a path for her. The girls were waiting with bated breaths and biting their nails as the professor pinned the paper to the bulletin board. Right when she was sure it wouldn't fall, Professor Fantina stepped back and her spot was instantly taken by people trying to read the list. Many disappointed groans were heard as people realized that they weren't nominees, and the huge mass of bodies gradually diminished.

Among this group, though, was a certain bluenette who had fought tooth and nail to see the board. This was a moment when she hated being 5'1". However, once she read the list her eyes lit up with excitement and she squealed were she stood, completely oblivious to the dirty looks that she was receiving.

_Congratulations to everyone who participated in the battles and contests._

_Based on how well each student has performed, he or she received a certain number of points._

_A higher number means a higher chance of being a candidate for this year's Autumn Ball King or Queen._

_The candidates for this year's Autumn Ball King and Queen are as follows: _

_Battles_

_King: Ash Ketchum, Gary Oak, Paul Shinji_

_Queen: Iris Clearwater, Leaf Fisher, Misty Fisher_

_Contests_

_King: Drew Hayden, Kenny Kengo, Nando Naoshi_

_Queen: Dawn Fisher, May Fisher, Zoey Nozomi_

_Once again, congratulations to all the participants. We hope everyone will attend the Autumn Ball._

Dawn was so focused on seeing "Dawn Fisher" on the list that she didn't realize that May had managed to sidle up right next to her.

"Look May! _Look!_" Dawn commanded.

May quickly scanned the list, and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw in her list. Even though she had won the majority of the contests, she had forgotten how the system worked and thus never considered herself a contender for Autumn Ball Queen.

"Well well well. Would you look at that", a voice drawled behind the two sisters.

May rolled her eyes and didn't have to turn around to know who it was. "Look at what, Drew? The fact that your name is on the list?"

"No, I already knew that I'd make the list. I won every single contest that I participated in. I'm just surprised that _you_ made the list."

May turned around at that. "Please. By your logic, you knew that I would be a candidate, because I won the majority of the contests, too. But I think that the real reason why you're here is because you want me to tell you congrats. Am I right?"

Drew shrugged. "Think what you want."

May didn't respond. Instead, she said to Ash, who was with Drew, "Congratulations Ash."

"Thanks May. But it's not likely that I'm going to win."

"Aw, why's that?" Dawn asked.

"Well," Ash began, "I was a candidate last year, too, but Paul beat me. I don't really care though."

Dawn smiled. "But it would be so cute if you and Misty both won! Wouldn't it, Misty?" she asked to the red-head who was quickly approaching them.

"Would what be what?" she asked after flashing a smile at Ash.

"Wouldn't it be cute if you and Ash won King and Queen?"

Misty automatically flushed pink. She had been doing a lot of blushing lately. "Well, I mean, I haven't even read the list yet, so I wouldn't know if—"

"You made the list", Dawn cut in.

"Oh", Misty said stupidly. "Well, then maybe it would be cute? I don't know, depends on your definition of cute." She tried to play it off cool, but with the unwanted blush, it wasn't working in her favor.

Dawn teased, "What if my definition of cute is you and Ash being King and Queen."

_I am going to throttle your pretty little neck when we get home_. "Then yes, I guess it would be cute."

May decided then cut in. "Wait a sec. Where's Leaf?"

* * *

><p>Leaf was walking down the hall toward the bulletin board where she knew Dawn would be. She was running a little late because she talked to a teacher about homework then used the restroom. But eventually, ten minutes behind schedule, she made her way over to the board. Or, at least, she attempted to. There was just a tiny spiky-haired obstacle that stood before her.<p>

"If I had a nickel every time I saw a girl as beautiful as you, I'd have five cents."

Leaf audibly groaned. "Gary! I thought I told you to stop using those cheesy pick-up lines on me. They clearly don't work."

Gary frowned. "But that was a new one! And I've got another that I just know will work. Ready for it?" Leaf braced herself and nodded. "Do you believe in love at first sight? Or should I walk by you again? Wasn't that one good?"

A sigh. "They might work on someone else, but not me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to go see the list of the King and Queen candidates."

"Oh I got a text from Drew earlier and it said that both of us made the list. Look at us. I bet it's cause we won the tag battle."

"Sure, whatever. But I'm still gonna head out. See you later."

"Wait!" Gary told her. "So you know how Ash is going with Misty to the dance?" Lead nodded. "Well how about I won't give you another pick-up line today if you go with me to the Autumn Ball?"

She was shocked when she heard the words come from his mouth. Go to the Autumn Ball with Gary Oak? She never saw it coming. She saw Gary standing there, cool and collected, and decided that she wanted to make him sweat a bit before giving him an answer.

"Well, I'm not sure that I even want to go at all", she began. "Besides, you'd probably just dance with a bunch of other cute girls. So I'm not sure if I should say yes or not…"

Gary racked his brain for something convincing, to make her want to go with him. "How about this: if you don't have a great time with me at the dance, then I will never bother you again."

Leaf could see how this would be problematic for the mission if it actually happened, but found herself playing along anyway. "That's extremely enticing."

"Is that a yes?" Gary asked, extremely hopeful.

"It's not a no", she shot back. "We'd go as friends, right?" _Mission first_, she thought.

"If you want to go as friends, then we'll go as friends." This warmed Leaf's heart. She didn't know what this, this _thing_ was that they had, but he was willing to take it slow for her, and make sure that she was comfortable.

"Well then, _this_ is a yes." And then she _finally_ made her way over to the bulletin board, this time with a little bounce in her step.

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday, November 11<strong>

Somehow, the four sisters found themselves at the Larousse City Mall. This "somehow" was largely due to a short bluenette's puppy dog face and surprisingly strong arms. When Leaf told the other three that Gary had asked her to the Autumn Ball, they squealed and started discussing green dresses. Dawn took it upon herself to initiate a shopping day as it had been oh so long since she'd been to the mall. And since Misty and Leaf were definitely going to the dance, she could drag her sisters along with her!

As Ash had explained to Misty, the Autumn Ball wasn't as formal or prehistoric as it sounded. The Autumn Ball was part of the Battle Tower's tradition, and so the name stuck while clothes changed. The actual ballgowns were reserved for the Winter Ball, which was a ways away.

When Dawn was about to drag them into Pokecrombie, Misty put down her foot.

"Dawn, our priority today is to find everything for the Autumn Ball. Which means that we're not going to go into Pokecrombie or Infinite XXI unless we have time. Got it?"

Dawn sniffled. "Fine…" So instead, they made their way to a fancier store that sold dresses that fit their occasion.

"This looks good", Leaf said. Peering through the windows of _Charming Nights_, she saw lots of party dresses that looked cute. "Let's check it out."

Once they entered _Charming Nights_, a surprisingly large store, the sisters split up to look for dresses that would suit themselves or someone else. Well, all except for May. She wasn't looking for a dress for herself, but was actually focusing on her sisters. Pulling out pink, green, and blue dresses and then putting them back onto their respective racks. She doubted that she would be all that helpful, and besides, Dawn would probably find dresses for everyone. Truth be told, May didn't want to go to the Autumn Ball. But she was a candidate for Queen, so she was kind of forced to go. And also, Drew would be there and she had to keep tabs on him.

Every dress that Misty pulled off the rack was blue. She wasn't quite sure what else she wanted other than a blue dress that wasn't so long that she'd trip over it. She just grabbed three dresses, all in a size six, and hoped that one of them would work. If not, Dawn would save her.

Misty told her sisters that she was heading over to the fitting rooms if they needed her or wanted to see the dresses she was trying on. Of course, Dawn hurried over to the fitting rooms to give her sister some expert advice. Misty tried on all three dresses, but none of them felt right. They would be too tight or too loose in the wrong places, or it would make her muscular arms looks huge.

"This is hopeless", she cried. "I may as well just wear a bag to the dance."

May, who was sitting on a couch, perked a brow. "Don't' be so dramatic. There are plenty of other dresses in the store." Leaf nodded in agreement.

"No need to worry. I've got it!" Dawn chirped before rushing out of the fitting rooms and back to the mass of dresses. After seeing the three duds, Dawn knew more of what Misty wanted and felt comfortable in. Her keen eye critiqued several dresses, but none of them were right for Misty. Finally, she saw a peek of blue hidden between two black dresses that was coincidentally a six. _This is the one, _she thought.

Excitedly, she carried the dress back over to Misty, whose eyes lit up when she saw what Dawn had managed to find for her. Quickly putting it on, she stepped out of the stall to show her sisters.

It was gorgeous. It was a chiffon strapless dress, royal blue, and _stunning_. It had two layers, with the longer layer ending five inches above her knee. It had a v-neckline, with crystals on the 'V'. It hugged her chest and flowed the rest of the way down.

"I don't care how much it is. I'm buying it", Misty decided. Dawn, Leaf, and May cheered, voicing how pretty and sexy and wonderful she looked in the dress.

"Alright, my turn!" Dawn piped. She had fifteen pink dresses laid out in front of her, which was a little extreme. When she looked at her sisters and saw their exasperation, she sighed. "Fine, narrow them down." With her approval, May, Leaf, and Misty narrowed her options down to six. Dawn took the first one into the stall to try one.

When she stepped out, her audience gasped. She looked absolutely divine in her dress. It was kind of like a tutu, with a lace-up bodice and a full, layered skirt that ended about six inches above the knee. The bodice was littered with silver beading and rhinestones, sparkling off of the baby pink fabric.

"Don't even bother trying on the other dresses," May said, "they won't compare to the one you have on."

"Really?" Dawn turned around, examining every angle possible in the full-length mirror. "I do love it. I guess picking out all those dresses was such a waste. Oh well." She took one more glance at herself. "Alright. Leaf's turn!"

Leaf bounced up and quickly went into the stall. She only had two dresses to try on. The first one was forest green, one that she had picked out herself. It was sleek and trailed all the way down to the floor. There were a few gold beadings scattered around the bodice and waist line. Her sisters weren't such a fan of this dress so Leaf changed into the second dress. This dress, picked out by Misty, was a dark purple and tight to the body, complete with a sweetheart neckline. Lots of silver detailing on the neckline completed the dress, which looked as if it was made for Leaf.

"The second one is the winner, hands down", Dawn decided. "I will make you suffer if you don't buy it."

"Alright alright! No need to get violent. I was going to choose the purple one anyway!"

Dawn nodded, content that Leaf had listened to her. "Now your turn May!" When she faced the brunette, Dawn immediately frowned at the number of dresses May was carrying. "Why don't you have any dresses to try on?"

"I don't really care about the Autumn Ball enough to spend money on it. So I was thinking I could just borrow one of yours and save some money?"

"May!" Dawn cried. "Saving money is not the point! The point is to look and feel pretty, and to have fun looking and feeling pretty!" The bluenette was pulling at her carefully groomed hair, unable to comprehend her sister's humbleness. "Now, listen to me carefully." May rolled her eyes, not threatened by her sister's words. "I am going to go back out there and pick a dress for you. And you are going to try it—Hey, don't roll your eyes. You _will_ try on an undetermined number of dresses until you find one that you like, or by Arceus, I will make sure you regret it!" With a huff, Dawn went back out looking for May's perfect dress while said brunette continued to sit on her couch, amused by her sister's command.

After about five minutes, Dawn came back with four dresses in tow. May immediately cast away two of them—one was too long and the other too tight. Both would restrict her movement if a fight were to occur. Actually, all dresses would restrict her movement, but Dawn wouldn't see this logic. May then took the other two dresses into a stall with a sigh.

Six minutes passed and May had no intention of leaving the stall.

"What's wrong, May? Do I have to drag you out too?" Dawn asked.

"No. I just didn't like the first one, so I'm trying on the second to save time", May responded. After a few more minutes, May stepped out of the stall, glowing.

The dress she wore was pure white with a pleated skirt that fell five inches above her knee. The chiffon material was tight to her chest and ribcage, but allowed her legs and core free movement which pleased her. The neckline was a sweetheart cut, but there was one strap that traveled from her left shoulder, across her chest, and to her waist's right side. This strap was embellished with stunning beads and rhinestones, and her back was open for all to see. May looked absolutely gorgeous, and she loved it to pieces.

"Oh May," Leaf began, "you look amazing!"

"You think? It does look really pretty, though, isn't $315 a bit much?" she asked weakly. Truth be told, May didn't want to give up the dress now that she loved it so much.

"No need to worry!" Dawn said. "Mine's over a hundred dollars more than that! Now wasn't that fun you guys?" After a slight pause, she continued, "Now on to accessories and shoes!"

By the time they got home, the sisters were thoroughly exhausted and had put a dent into Mark's credit card, though Dawn insisted that it was fine and that they should live a little. Each person put her dress into her closet and put the accessories somewhere safe. After a pause, Dawn took her dress from her closet and put it on again, complete with her new shoes, and started to dance with an imaginary partner. Misty sat on her bed, imagining Ash's face when he saw her in her new dress while leaf thought of ways to keep Gary from touching her when she was all dolled up. And May stared at her dress, still taken away by how beautiful it was. She imagined how Drew would handle dressed-up-May, and then quickly snapped out of her thoughts, not caring about how Drew would see her.

Then simultaneously, almost as if choreographed, each sister flopped down onto her bed with a contented sigh. They cast out all thoughts of their mission and dreamed about dancing at the Autumn Ball with the perfect date.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: So the end of another chapter. I hope that it wasn't too rushed, and I hope that I didn't bore you with the descriptions of their dresses. I know it's not everyone's favorite part of a story. But hey, I'm a girl, and I love dresses! Please review! I will love you even more if you do!


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: **Hello my beloved readers! If you want to know why I haven't updated before today, blame mother nature for whipping up a storm which took out my power! I haven't had electricity for the longest time, and I still don't have it yet. But my friend, thankfully does, which is why I'm able to update today. Please, read and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday, November 15<strong>

Due to a previous night's mission, May had missed another day of classes. Subsequently, she went to school at 7:20, thirty-five minutes earlier than usual, to turn in homework and ask about what she had missed that day and if she needed to make anything up, just like a typical student would. Once she had talked to all her teachers, the clock read 7:40, twenty minutes before she had to be at homeroom. Sighing, May made her way over to the room anyway to wait for her sisters to arrive. She figured that since it was so early, no one else would be in the room so she could enjoy some peace and quiet. Because of this, May was a little shocked to find someone else already in the room, sitting alone at his table.

"Hey there May."

"Uh, morning Brendan!" she said pseudo-cheerfully while groaning to herself. She made no effort to continue to the conversation and sat at her table with her back facing him. May then looked up at the clock, and wanted to cry as it read 7:41. Nine minutes before anyone usually showed up; nine minutes alone with a guy that she knew liked her. She fiddled with her phone a bit, played with her ring, and mentally told her sisters to hurry on over. May could easily handle fights and death, but boys were unchartered territory, and May never liked what she wasn't familiar with. When she heard a chair slide across the floor and a body walking towards her, she wished that she hadn't come so early.

"What's up, Brendan?"

He replied, "Well, you were looking a little lonely over here all by yourself."

"I was fine", she said curtly.

"Actually," Brendan hesitated, "I realized that you haven't been asked to the Autumn Ball yet." _Oh no, _May thought. _Please no_. "And I don't have a date either." _Don't ask me. Don't ask me. _"I was wondering if you wanted to be my date to the dance."

May opened her eyes wide, as if in shock that she had been asked. But in reality, she was reading his mind, looking for any ulterior motive that Brendan might have. She found nothing but the wish for her to say yes and accompany him to the dance. Of course, just because it wasn't in his mind, May knew that there still could be another reason for him wanting to go with her to the dance. _Maybe Gorvatech is after Oaris. If so, then saying yes would be a huge mistake. What if Gorvatech is after both Kroloy _and _Oaris? I need to know more about Gorvatech_. All of this was going on in her mind while she stared blankly at Brendan, who was beginning to appear a little unnerved.

"So, um, what do you think? It'd be fun!"

A figure walking into the classroom caught May's attention, and her eyes immediately flicked over to the person, to Drew. She gazed at him, wondering what he knew about Gorvatech, and languidly said, "I'm sorry, but no."

Brendan sucked in a sharp breathe, and noticed that she was looking at Drew when she said this. May easily read the anger that was coming from his mind; the anger that was interestingly directed at Drew and not her.

"I understand. Maybe one dance?" he asked dejectedly.

May shrugged, "Maybe". She didn't make any promises. Brendan then shot a heated glare at Drew before heading back over towards his table. May didn't miss this, and when she read his mind again, she learned that Brendan thought she had said no because she liked Drew instead. _Oh, how wrong he is_, May laughed to herself.

Another glance at the clock told her it was 7:44. Before she could fiddle around with her phone again, though, another person slid into the chair across from her.

"What was that all about?" Drew asked, though his monotone voice suggested that he was anything but curious.

"I'm pretty sure that you already know what it was about", May replied, skillfully evading the question.

Drew shrugged. "I like to think that I do, but one can never be too sure." He continued after a pause. "Why'd you say no?"

She perked an eyebrow. "Why do you care? Do you want to ask me, too?" She scoffed at the idea of Drew asking her, but as she thought more about it, she didn't find it so funny.

"You?" Drew laughed. "Why would I ask you? I already have a date, because only losers go to the dance alone."

"Oh really? She's either desperate or stupid to agree to go with someone with the likes of you", May shot back. "Or maybe she's both. Seems like your type of girl." Right then, three people entered the room, relieving May. "I'm afraid you have to leave, because you're kind of in someone's seat", she said, gesturing to her newly arrived sisters. Drew scowled at her but consented, brusquely leaving her table to sit at his own.

"What just happened?" Leaf asked at she sat down.

May waved her hand. "Nothing really. Took you guys long enough to finally show up! I had to sit in this room alone with Brendan, who, by the way, asked me to the dance."

Dawn squealed. "What did you say?"

"No, of course not", May forcefully replied with a shake of her head. "I don't, and never will, see him that way."

_I won't _ever_ see anyone that way_.

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday, November 25<strong>

**Dawn's POV**

These past two weeks couldn't have passed by fast enough! But now that the dance was _tonight_, it was definitely worth the wait! I got asked by a guy or two or five, but I said no to them because I didn't want to go with some stranger, and I didn't want to leave May all by herself either. It's not like I need a date to have fun; May and I would have a great time together!

Misty and Leaf were getting picked up by their dates around 6:00, so they had enough time to go out to dinner before the dance, which started at 7:30. It was 3:00 now, which meant that I only had three hours to do their hair and make-up! I had spent the past week planning out how to do their hair, and the multiple doodles in my notebook can contest to that. Giggling, I called Misty up to my room while gently laying out all of my hair tools and products for ease of access.

When she arrived at my room, I literally dragged her over to my vanity and plopped her down onto the cushioned seat.

"Did you shower at 11 like a told you to?" I asked, searching her face for any hint of a lie.

Misty nodded.

"Good." Then, I plugged the straightener into the wall to let it heat up while separating her slightly wavy hair. Twenty minutes later, Misty's hair was sleek and pin-straight, with her bangs pinned back with a jeweled bobby pin.

"Simple enough for you?"

"It's perfect!" Misty exclaimed. "Thank you!"

I beamed. I love it when people love what I do! "Awesome! Now, on to your make-up." I led her to another vanity, this one containing drawers full of make-up. I decided on a soft, brown eye-look, which was the most natural thing I had in my repertoire. The make-up took significantly longer that I had originally planned, because my spazzy sister kept on jerking away from each brush or tool I used.

"It's not even dangerous!" I nearly shouted at her. "You've had guns shot at you and knives thrown at you! Why are you scared of a mascara wand!"

Misty blushed. "I know what guns and knives do! I have no idea what that, that _thing_ you have in your hand will do to me!"

I sighed, before trying to calm her down. _Probably some Ash jitters_.

Misty spluttered. "I do _not_ have Ash jitters!"

"No need to worry," I replied, "I won't tell him. Anyway," I ignored the look she sent me, "this is mascara. You put it on your eyelashes so the look longer and fuller, which makes you look even more alluring."

Cautiously, as if I was approaching a wild Deerling, I brought the wand close to her eyes. "Don't flinch", I commanded before applying the mascara.

"Good job", I praised in her in a baby-voice.

"Shut up."

After some blush and lipgloss I told her, "Done! Now, don't you dare even think about getting your hair or face wet, because I will not do it all over again for you."

After Misty left, I called Leaf up to my room. Checking my phone, I saw that I still had two hours left to work on Leaf. This was all going so perfectly! Once Leaf arrived and sat down, I painstakingly worked on her long tresses, curling all of her hair. After everything was curled, I pulled the top-most layers back and pinned it with bobby-pins, while leaving a few tendrils to frame her face. As suspected, the entire hairdo took about forty-five minutes. Make-up for Leaf was easier, unlike my red-headed sister, because Leaf was used to wearing it every now and then.

"Thanks Dawn! It looks wonderful!" Leaf praised as she examined her hair at all angles of my mirror.

"No problem. I'm sure Gary's jaw will drop once he sees you", I giggled. "Now go and put on your dress and jewelry. You only have about forty-five minutes left!" Once she heard that, Leaf carefully rushed to her own room.

_May, I'm ready when you are!_ About two minutes later, May entered, not looking at all excited about the dance.

"Let's just get this over with", she muttered. Then she told me, "Nothing too extravagant or anything, in case I have to fight."

"No need to worry! I know just what to do!" I had argued with May for days to let me do her hair. When she told me that she just wanted to throw it back in a ponytail, I nearly had a heart-attack! We had battled it out, and even though May won, I still refused to let her have her way. Finally, we made a deal: she would let me do her hair if I worked out with her for the next two weeks. I would come to regret that tomorrow. But for now, I was still reveling in my victory! I straightened her hair, and then loosely curled it, giving her an innocent, sweet look. When I led her over to the make-up vanity and pulled out a palette, she jumped up and grabbed it.

"Nu-uh. We agreed on hair only. Nothing was said about make-up!" And with that, my sister tossed the palette back at me and sprinted out of the room.

"Don't ruin your hair!" I called after her, before setting down the make-up and starting on my hair. I curled my own hair into tight ringlets, which gave me a very princess-y vibe which I loved. Once I had finished, the clock read 5:55, which meant that Ash and Gary would be here in less than five minutes!

I rushed over to Misty's room as quickly as I could without ruining my hair, and gave her some final touch-ups: re-applying lipgloss, more hairspray, a little perfume, then rushed off to find Leaf and do the same. Right when I finished, the doorbell rang, and I squealed.

"Time to go, Leaf!" I could tell she was nervous, but I led her to the door anyway. May was already there, opening the door for Ash and Gary. I heard her tell them that our sisters would be a moment, and that I was fetching them right now.

_I've got one of them_, I told May, _but I don't know where Misty is_.

_I'm coming! Just give me a minute!_

Satisfied, I pulled Leaf to the main hall and let her walk to the door by herself as May melted away from the scene.

"Hi", I heard Leaf say softly.

Gary whistled when he saw her. "Oh dear Arceus, forgive me for I have sinned. You look amazing, Leaf." I nearly melted when I heard him tell my sister that, and she just about melted too.

"Thanks", Leaf replied with a blush.

"Let's head over to the car while Ash waits for Misty", Gary suggested. When Leaf nodded in agreement, he led them out the door.

"See you at the dance!" Leaf called out to us before closing the door behind her. They were just too cute! I sighed dreamily, hoping that I'd meet my Prince Charming soon. Then I heard Misty coming towards the hall and towards Ash. When she finally got there, Ash's mouth dropped as he gazed at Misty in all her beauty.

"Misty, you look, I mean, you are, you're just—", he stuttered.

"Thanks Ash", Misty laughed, once again saving him from complete embarrassment.

Ash smiled at her. "Ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Misty replied. She, too, waved at us before leaving.

Once the door closed, I ran, or rather, jogged, towards May while cheering. "Did you see them? Did you see the cuteness? They are just perfect for each other! I want one!"

My sister laughed at me. "Yeah, yeah. They're cute and all, but remember, they're only going as friends."

"Nuh-uh," I singsonged, "there's no way that they're just friends. Gary and Leaf, maybe. But Misty has totally fallen for Ash." I started to daydream about the perfectness of Misty and Ash, and how she deserved to be in love. I was so caught up in this daydream that I didn't notice May's drawn eyebrow and slight scowl.

"Misty already fallen for Ash? Really?"

I nodded. "Mm-hmm. I mean, she hasn't outright said it yet. But I can just tell. Call it sisterly intuition."

"I'm her sister, too, but I'm not getting that vibe", May protested.

"That's cause you refuse to see it, May. Maybe if you opened your eyes a bit, you'd see it, too!" I said sagely before skipping away to start on my make-up.

* * *

><p>By the time that May and Dawn arrived at the dance, bodies were already pumping wildly along to the beat of the music, generously provided by a hired DJ. Among these people was Ash, who was jumping up and down, dancing crazily while trying to convince a reluctant redhead to "dance" with him. Instead of heading straight to the dance floor, the two newly arrived sisters headed over to the table that Leaf was sitting at. With her were Gary, Paul, and Drew and his date, a blonde dressed in a pink dress that would make Barbie envious.<p>

"Yeah, I'm a pretty good coordinator. Too bad this place doesn't—". Drew stopped midsentence when he saw Dawn and May, but specifically May, approach them. His date, wondering why he had stopped talking, looked in the same direction that Drew was looking.

"Is that Dawn? I _love_ her dress", his blonde date said. "But who's that girl with her? I've never seen her around before."

"Who?" Leaf asked interestedly while turning around. "Oh! May and Dawn are here!" She jumped up to greet her sisters and brought them to the table while chatting animatedly about how well dinner went. "You know everyone here except for Drew's date—Caroline. Caroline, these are my sisters, Dawn and May."

After she finished the introduction, they noticed that there was only one open seat left at the table. "Well, this is a problem", Leaf laughed.

Before anyone went to drag chairs over, Gary said, "Leaf, looks like it's the perfect time to dance", and he made good on his word by taking her hand and leading her over to where Ash and Misty were "dancing". Right when May and Dawn sit down, Caroline announced that she wanted to dance, too, and dragged Drew over to where some of her own friends were dancing. This left Dawn, May, and Paul alone at the table.

"So Paul, think you have a good shot of being King?" Dawn asked, eager to make conversation.

Paul shrugged. "Won last year. It was pointless. I don't really care if I win."

"Really?" Dawn gasped. "I would love to win. Queen, of course. Not King. That would be silly and impossible!" And she continued to talk, making up for his lack of enthusiasm with her own. And though he was very monotone, May was surprised by the length of his responses. She herself had never achieved more than a few grunts or glares from the purple-haired boy.

"Do you like to dance, Paul?" Dawn inquired.

"I don't know. Never tried."

"What?" Dawn exclaimed. "You've never danced before? I love dancing! I'm sure you'll love it, too! Let's go!" She shot up and furiously gestured for him to follow her. With a long sigh, Paul slowly stood up and followed her, albeit a bit reluctantly. "C'mon May! You're not getting out of this either!" May rolled her eyes, but knew she had to dance at least once to appease her younger sister.

Katy Perry's _Firework_ was blasting, which made Dawn extremely giddy. "I love this song!" Once she entered the crowd of people, she danced her way over to where Misty and Leaf were and joined them. Ash was dancing with as much energy as Dawn was, though he was significantly less coordinated. May, too, began to dance, and easily lost herself to the beat of the music. Though she wouldn't admit it to anyone, May was having a great time dancing. She laughed when Gary attempted to grind with Leaf, who shoved him away and refused to dance with him for the next two songs. Ash danced circles around Misty, who laughed at his antics, and even Paul looked a little less angry at the world.

When May looked over Dawn's shoulder, she nearly tripped over herself. About twenty feet away from their group was a guy with dark blue hair, whose facial features seemed oddly familiar to May. She continued to dance, not wanting to look out of place, as she pondered over why he looked so familiar. Then, she gasped in realization. _He's a member from Gorvatech_, she thought to herself. _He's the one who lost his Yanmega to Paul_. Cursing herself for not having noticed him sooner, May quickly generated an excuse to stop dancing.

"I'm going to the bathroom", May yelled to Leaf over the music. Leaf didn't stop dancing with Gary, but waved her hand to show that she heard. May then weaved around the moving bodies until she escaped the dance floor and headed towards the girls restroom. As she was walking, May stared at the Gorvatech member and looked into his mind, and learned that his name was Lucas. Focusing a bit more, she also learned that this Lucas character was keeping tabs on the Kroloy members. Continuing to watch him, May's eyes were just able to make out the faint outline of a gun hidden underneath her shirt.

When she saw this, May hurried over to the bathroom and locked herself in a stall. Pulling the hem of her dress up, she drew out her own gun, located in a holster on her thigh, and made sure that it was loaded. Once she returned the weapon back to its hiding place, May exited the bathroom with the intention of spying some more on Lucas while dancing.

Her plan, however, was put on hold when she noticed Brendan walking toward her. Without even looking into his mind, May knew that he wanted to dance with her so she immediately ran in the opposite direction, trying to come up with an excuse to not dance with him. As she passed the punch table, she saw Paul and guessed that he was getting a drink for himself and possibly Dawn. May quickly rushed over to him when she noticed that Brendan was still coming for her.

"Dance with me", she whispered urgently at Paul, who, in turn, raised an eyebrow.

"I'm busy", was all he said.

"Please", she all but begged the purple-haired teen, "dance with me. It's not because I like you or anything."

Paul sighed. "Dance with Hayden. He's free." And before May could stop him, he walked away. May mentally groaned, cursing her current situation, but nevertheless approached Drew, who was standing by the dessert table.

"Let's dance", she commanded, completely lacking enthusiasm.

Drew smirked, but didn't obey. "Why? I already have a date; someone I'd much rather dance with than you."

"I'll tell you why while we're dancing. Let's go", she growled. Drew stood there, smirking, and refused to give May a yes or no. Much to her disappointment and frustration, Drew's failure to give her an answer gave Brendan enough time to approach the pair.

"Hey May", Brendan said, while glaring at Drew. "You look great!"

"Thanks Brendan", she mumbled, cursing her situation.

"So, um, how about that dance?" May visibly grimaced, and was about to speak when Drew cut in.

"Actually, May was about to dance with me", he said. Brendan's eyes were livid, and he scowled deeply at the green-haired guy in front of him. May noticed his hands moving towards his waistband, which sent an alarm running through her head. May quickly intercepted before a fight broke out, over her of all things.

"Actually Brendan, Drew did just ask me. And I just _love _this song, so I don't want to waste anymore time. Sorry!" She quickly grabbed Drew's wrist and all but pulled him onto the dance floor.

"Now you know why I needed someone to dance with", she told him as they made their way over. But when they reached the mass of people, May instantaneously lost all of her boldness, realizing that she would actually have to dance with someone she could barely stand to talk to. She started to pump her arms into the air while continuously glancing all around her for any signs of the Gorvatech members. Because of this, May was extremely tense, which Drew easily picked up on.

"You're an awful dancer. Relax a bit", he said.

"I can't", May replied, feeling jittery and nervous.

"Is it because you're dancing with the most handsome guy here?"

May smacked his shoulder. "You wish." She loosened up a bit after that, but remained awkward and stiff for the remainder of the song. Once it ended, May gave a quick thanks before leaving to join her sisters who were all seated at a table. Right when she got there, however, the DJ stopped playing music and instead, Professor Soledad made her way onto the stage.

"This is it!" Dawn squealed. "I can't take this anticipation!"

"Hello students of the Battle Tower. Thank you all for coming to the Autumn Ball tonight. We are so proud of every single one of you trainers and coordinators that were willing to battle and perform to test you prowess against fellow students. Sadly, there can only be one King and one Queen from each category. This year, your Autumn Ball King for battles is…Gary Oak!" Cheers erupted amongst the female audience when they heard this, screaming and clapping as he made his way up the stage to receive his crown. "Your Queen for battles is…Leaf Fisher!" She stood up, a little shocked, while her sisters cheered wildly for her. On stage, Gary smirked at her and winked, an action which made her roll her eyes.

"Next, for contests, your King is…Drew Hayden!" Drew, who had won the year before, and knew that he'd win this year, lazily strode onstage, a cocky smirk present on his face. "And finally, this year's Queen of contests is...May Fisher!" Dawn pouted a bit, sad that she didn't win. When May saw this, she offered for her bluenette sister to go up and receive the crown, which caused Dawn to laugh and shove the brunette forward.

"Now, as per tradition, the Kings must dance with their respective Queens", Soledad finished, then gestured for the DJ to move on to the next track. When a slow song started to play, May wanted to shoot herself. She could if she wanted—she had the means to—but decided that death wasn't the wisest choice, though the most preferable.

Gary offered Leaf his arm, which she took while blushing, and Drew mirrored his action. Having no choice, May accepted and let him lead her down to the dance floor. Drew strategically placed his hands around her waist, leaving May with no option but to put her hands around his neck. _Well played, jerk_, May thought in her head. For obvious reasons, May was tense and stiff as a board when she felt his hands around her lower back. No male had ever touched her there so gently or without the intent to hurt her. But Drew made no move to travel any lower, and gently swayed his partner to the soft rhythm of the music. Slowly, May relaxed in his arms, and began to enjoy the dance. Drew was…comfortably and oddly warm, and she felt safe.

All too soon, the song came to a stop, at which point Drew and May stepped away from each other. She felt cold without him as close to her as he was before, but she shook it off.

"Th-thanks", she said shyly. "That was…fun." Drew just nodded, for some reason unable to speak. The pair stood there awkwardly for another moment, not sure of what to do or say. Neither wanted to break the silence, but finally, May decided to save them both from further awkwardness.

"Congrats on winning, and um, have fun with Caroline." She then turned around and hurriedly headed toward the table where Dawn was sitting. What she sat down, May saw that Leaf and Gary were still slow dancing, and that Ash had asked Misty to dance with him.

"Why aren't you dancing?" she asked Dawn, who shrugged.

"No one that I wanna dance with has asked me yet." May nodded sympathetically. As she gazed around the room, she noticed that Brendan, Lucas, and the third member of Gorvatech were leaving the dance together, which immediately caught her interest. _Maybe they're going to their headquarters_, she thought. Cursing her attire, May casually stood up and mentally told her sisters that she was leaving, on the pretext of 'business'. When they halfheartedly asked if she wanted them to go with her, May instantly refused, and told them to enjoy the rest of the dance. _They've wanted to be normal girls for so long, and they deserve it_. Walking out the doors, May silently followed the three Gorvatech members.

Minutes after she left, Drew approached the table where Dawn, and previously May, was sitting at. When he noticed that May wasn't there anymore, he looked like he wanted to turn around and walk away, which amused Dawn.

"Did May leave?" he asked while attempting to look bored. _This is just like the day May wasn't here for the contest_, she thought.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"No reason", Drew answered quickly, almost _too _quickly. Then, in an attempt to cover up his intentions even more, he asked, "Do you want to dance?" Dawn perked her brow, wondering where his date was and why he was asking to dance with her, but decided that she was too bored to say no.

"Sure", she replied, and followed him onto the dance floor.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I love reviews, so please, review this chapter! They make every writer feel special! ;)


	16. Chapter 16

**Oh my lord, I just love school. So much. If you can't tell, those words hold much sarcasm. I wanted to get this chapter out because it refused to remain unwritten. Enjoy! And, like always, please review!**

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday, November 25<strong>

As May exited the doors of the Battle Tower, she immediately set out in the direction that the three Gorvatech members were travelling. May deduced that they were travelling northeast, and would eventually enter a patch of forest. She cursed her dress, which was white and extremely noticeable in the moonlight, and decided that Dawn was reprehensible—she was the one who chose out her dress, after all. Knowing that it would be useless to even attempt to spy in her current attire, May took a quick detour. She ran east, toward a "rock" that was actually a place to hide her spy gear and uniform. Quickly stepping out of her dress, May clothed herself in the black garments, put on a black wig, and tied a bandana around the lower portion of her face.

After hiding her dress and heels in the rock, May started to travel north to catch up to the Gorvatech members. She travelled in the path where the birds were quiet, obviously spooked by something. She spied footprints in the dirt and noticed where some branches had been forcibly ripped from their trees. As she ran, May mentally belittled their attempts of going unnoticed.

She easily caught up to the three spies, but maintained a careful distance to minimize any chance of them detecting her. However, May was quick to notice that others were approaching their location, so she levitated herself into a tree with dense foliage. Gorvatech seemed to realize this, too, as they silenced themselves and also hid. After a few tense moments, two bodies, which May instantly recognized as Paul and Drew, appeared. _Idiots_, May thought, _they're going to walk right into their own deaths_.

As if sensing her thoughts, though that was absurdly impossible, Paul stopped moving, finally noticing the poor concealed footprints in the ground. She watched as Paul motioned to Drew and the pair simultaneously drew their guns and continued forward, albeit with much more caution than before.

With a yell, the Gorvatech members jumped out from their hiding spots and began shooting at the two newcomers. However, Drew and Paul had anticipated this and easily jumped out of the way before returning fire. They, at least, were being smart and not just firing blindly. From her perch, May watched the skirmish with interest, seeing as the numbers were uneven. She noticed that the two Kroloy members were easily holding their own against the opposing two Gorvatech members. _Wait, two?_, she realized with some alarm. _Where's the third?_

Quickly scanning the surrounding area, May noticed that the third person had affixed a bomb to the base of a tree—her tree. Knowing that she had no clue when the bomb would detonate and not wanting to get blown to pieces, May took matters into her own hands, though she fleetingly wished that she had Leaf with her. By looking into the mind of the Gorvatech member—Rudy, she learned—May found out that the bomb would go off in five minutes from when it was attached to the tree. _So about four and a half minutes from now_, she thought. _Plenty of time_.

Acting with unsurprising alacrity, May spoke one word into the Gorvatech members' minds: _run_. Without hesitation, Brendan, Lucas, and Rudy immediately ran away from the fight, heading in the same direction as before. After confirming their direction of travel, May lowered herself to the ground and removed the bomb before silently approaching the Kroloy members from behind, both of whom were confused as to why Gorvatech had fled. Taking advantage of their confusion, May firmly placed her gun on Drew's neck, who stiffened instantaneously.

"Listen carefully, don't say a word, and do as I say", May commanded in a voice different from her natural one. "Paul, in a moment I will place a bomb in your hand. You have two minutes to disengage it. But to make things more fun, you only have one minute if you don't want Drew here to die. Go."

A couple weeks ago, Dawn mentioned that Paul had a prodigal ability with technology, and May was putting it to the test. To his credit, Paul _was _good with technology—it took him twenty-nine seconds to disengage the bomb. That, or Gorvatech was really cheap, which could also be a factor.

"Did you disengage it?" Paul silently nodded. "Good job. You just saved your own lives." Right after she said this, May's gun collided with Paul's temple, effectively knocking him out. Drew, however, reacted by sending a fist towards her head, though May effortlessly dodged the attack by launching herself into the air. When she landed, her gun was aimed right at his forehead. But this wasn't what shocked him into halting all movement.

_Those eyes_, Drew thought as his own widened in recollection, _the same ones as before_. May used this opening to her advantage and knocked him out, too. His emerald eyes, still wide with shock, instinctively closed as he lost consciousness. Using some rope that she found on their personnel, May quickly tied the two partners together, and then tied them to a tree for good measure before taking off after Gorvatech once more.

* * *

><p><strong>Roughly three hours later…<strong>

**Drew's POV**

"Ughh", I said groggily as I opened my eyes. "Why do I feel awful?" My head was throbbing terribly, and when I tried to massage it, I realized that I was tied up with rope! Glancing around me, I noticed that I was tied to Paul, who still seemed to be unconscious. "Shit", I cursed to myself as I remembered what had happened earlier that night: a fight with Gorvatech, Paul disengaging a bomb, and that spy with those blue eyes.

"Paul, get up", I demanded while roughly moving around to try and get him to wake up. When he finally regained consciousness, we first cut ourselves out of the rope before discussing what had transpired, starting by listing off things that they knew.

"She's definitely a girl, since we both heard her voice", I said.

"She doesn't want to kill us", Paul added. "Otherwise we'd be dead."

"But why?"

"The hell if I know. But she's good." I nodded in agreement. Even though we wouldn't admit it to each other, neither of us noticed when the spy had approached.

"And there's no way of finding out anything about her", I commented, "because she didn't leave any clues as to who she is." Paul grunted. "All I saw were her eyes, which were blue." After a pause, I continued, "The same eyes as the ones who attacked me earlier this year."

"The exact same?" Paul questioned.

I nodded. "She knows our names and probably everything about us."

"Well shit."

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday, November 29<strong>

Leaf was training with her Nuzleaf in preparation for the week's battle, but was somewhat rudely interrupted by her ginger sister who walked toward her with a completely giddy look on her face. Leaf immediately interpreted her sister's facial expressions.

"Let me guess. Ash asked you out on a date?!"

"Yes!" Misty exclaimed, unable to contain her joy.

Leaf beamed. "That's great! And I'm guessing that it's not just as friends. What's the date?"

"I think he's taking me to this food festival thing. It's this weekend." Misty was dancing around Leaf, squealing like the teenage girl she sometimes, though rarely, was. Interestingly, Misty had been doing a lot more of these teenage-ish actions every since she had met Ash.

"Typical Ash", Leaf joked. "I know Dawn will be totally ecstatic about this, too! But I wonder how May will take it."

Misty clearly didn't care about what her other brunette sister thought right then. She was too elated and joyful to care about May's condescending lecture. "Well, she doesn't have to know." Then, Misty mentally asked Dawn to join her and Leaf in the backyard.

"What's up?" Dawn asked when she arrived.

"Ash asked me out on a date!"

Dawn's eyes lit up as she squealed. "This is so exciting! Oh can I _please _pick out your outfit. Please please please?"

Misty thought this over. "On one condition."

"What's the condition?"

"You cannot, and I mean _cannot_ let May know that this is happening, okay?"

Dawn nodded. "No need to worry! My lips are sealed."

"The same goes for you Leaf", Misty said. The brunette pursed her lips at this, clearly not happy with Misty's request. They were sisters, and sisters told each other everything. "Please, Leaf? Just let me have this one happy day?"

Leaf sighed, but reluctantly agreed. "Fine, but you owe me. But I hope you know that May won't be happy that you're keeping this a secret…"

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday, December 2<strong>

"Has anyone seen Misty?" May asked. "It's already three, and she should be doing her laps in the pool right about now. I was going to join her..."

"Nope", Leaf replied. "She might be out running errands or something." Leaf hated lying to any one of her sisters, but she _had_ promised Misty that she'd cover for her.

Dawn added, "I haven't seen her either! But no need to worry! She's totally fine!" This caused May to narrow her eyes a bit.

"How do you know?"

"Oh, umm, well, call it sisterly intuition?" Dawn chuckled nervously. Leaf shot the bluenette a look that clearly told her shut her mouth.

"Hmm, I don't know. She would've left a note or something, or at least told one of us", May said worriedly. "Do you think she's in trouble?"

"No, we would've felt something if she was", Leaf said soothingly. "She'll probably be home within a few hours." May nodded, though her expression was worried. She couldn't help but wonder if Misty was in trouble and needed her help. _What if she's been kidnapped?_, May thought. _I need to go look for her_.

"She hasn't been kidnapped!" Leaf cried after having heard May's thoughts. "Trust me. Now go do something to keep you busy."

May obediently went to her room, crossed it, and then made her way to the roof. She started to do some ab workouts—russian twists, crunches, toe touches, leg lifts, the works. Anything to keep herself busy. An hour passed, and still no sign of Misty. _Relax, May_, she told herself, _an hour is nothing when you're running errands_. Going back inside to busy herself some more, May cleaned her room thoroughly, and even did a load of laundry. She was never this domesticated, which just showed how agitated she was. Another hour had ticked by. Antsy, May then went to train with her pokemon who needed some love.

"Come on out, Skitty!" Her pokeball emitted a red beam of light, which soon took the form of her Skitty. "Blizzard!" And so May went, training tirelessly with each of her six pokemon that she had on her personnel. However, her mind wasn't totally focused on her pokemon, who could tell something was off with their trainer. When May finally returned her Blaziken, she noticed that the sun was beginning to set. It was getting late, and there still no sign of Misty. _It's been another four hours_. _Something's definitely wrong._

"Leaf! Dawn! I'm going out to look for Misty!" She started pulling out her spying attire when, in a flash, both of her sisters appeared in her room.

"Why?" Dawn asked, sending a nervous glance towards Leaf.

"It's been six hours and she's still not back. I shouldn't have waited this long to go after her", May scolded herself. "Do you guys want to come with?"

"May, I'm pretty sure Misty's fine. Trust us", Leaf said. After hearing this, May glared suspiciously at her sisters who stood before her.

"How do you know she's fine? Do you know something that I don't?" May asked accusingly. Dawn and Leaf shook their heads, though the former performed the action much more wildly and frantically than the latter. "Then why aren't you freaking out like I am? She could be dying, for Arceus' sake!" When May said this, her determination to find Misty was even more inexorable. She started changing into her black clothing when the sound of a door opening reached their ears. Without hesitation, May sprinted out of her room and towards the front hall.

When she reached her destination, May breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her red-headed sister standing there, looking unhurt. Not taking any chances, though, she hurried over and began to examine Misty for any injuries.

"Where have you been? Are you hurt? Was it Kroloy?" May fired question after question while simultaneously looking for blood or bruises. "You scared me t—". Right then, she noticed the tulips in Misty's hand, which wouldn't have been there if she was kidnapped. Making eye contact with her sister, May noticed a guilty look in Misty's eyes.

"Where were you?" she asked, her tone demanding the truth.

Misty averted her gaze. "I was out. With Ash."

"Why didn't you tell me?! I was worried sick!"

"Because I knew you'd be mad with me for getting too close to him…"

May was hurt that her sister thought of her in such a negative light, though it would be a blatant lie to say that she was supportive of Misty's actions. "Well that may be true, Misty, but I'm _beyond_ mad with you now. Why would you tell Leaf and Dawn, but not me? You've never kept _anything_ from me before." She felt as if she had been punched in the gut.

"I…I don't know", Misty said apologetically, just now realizing her mistake.

"Yeah. Neither do I." Brushing silently past her sisters, May walked to the closet and randomly picked out a pair of running shoes before slipping them on. "I'm going for a run", she said, telling _all _of her sisters as to where she was going.

After she had left, Dawn cautiously asked, "How was the date?"

"It was great", Misty responded with a weak smile. "I had a lot of fun with him, and the food was amazing too."

"That's good", Dawn said, which was then followed by a slight pause.

"I feel awful, but I know that May feels even worse. I'm such a terrible sister", Misty all but cried. "We've never kept anything like this a secret from each other. Ever. Why did I do such a thing?"

"It's not entirely your fault", said Leaf, "Dawn and I are also at fault here for not telling her."

"Because I told you to!"

"But we could have easily told her while you were gone. Look, I'm not going to say that it's alright for you to lie to her, because it's not. We're all sisters, maybe not by blood, but by our trust and friendship. So yes, we did something horrible to May, which makes us awful sisters. But May _will_ forgive you, Dawn, and me because that's what we are. Sisters."

Misty's eyes were watery, but she willed herself to believe what Leaf just said. "You promise?"

Dawn and Leaf approached her and enveloped her in a hug. "We promise. That's what sisters are for."

* * *

><p><strong>Friday, December 15<strong>

"And with that stunning Silver Wind, May and her Beautifly take this week's contest. Congratulations!" announced Professor Wallace.

May forced a small smile to her lips before recalling her pokemon and walking off stage. She appeared to be focused on something, her brows pinched together as if in deep thought.

"Nice job, June", Drew said as she strode past him. But May acted as if she hadn't heard him and continued walking forward.

Drew frowned a bit. "I said, nice job June" he called out in a louder voice. When he continued to receive no response, he quickly caught up with her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Right when he did this, though, May caught his wrist a vice grip before quickly letting go.

"What's with the attitude?" Drew inquired.

"What attitude?" May responded without turning around or breaking her stride.

"The one where you don't respond to me."

"I'm sorry. The next time I see June, I'll tell her you're looking for her. Better?"

Drew choked out a laugh, trying to not be intimidated by her wittiness. "Did I say June? I meant to say July."

"Well obviously something's wrong with your head if you can't get your months straight", May shot back. "Now excuse me, I've got stuff to get to."

He was royally insulted. Every girl jumped at the chance to flirt with him! Then a thought dawned onto him. "Oh I see. You're trying to play hard to get, aren't you? Well I'm not Gary, and I'm not interested in you."

"That's fantastic! Me neither", May told him. "Now seriously, I have to go run some errands. Go busy yourself with the next girl that passes your way." Taking longer strides, May attempted to get away from him as soon as possible.

"Are you sure you're not interested? You seemed pretty attracted to my charm during the Autumn Ball", Drew persisted.

This had May frozen in her tracks, which made Drew almost walk into her. Quickly spinning around, May pointed a finger at him and said in a low voice, "I was _not_ attracted by your charm. Was not, am not, and never will be. Got it, Hayden?"

Drew felt as if he had been slapped in the face. She had just bruised his pride and he wasn't going to her walk away unscathed. "Listen, bitch—" was all that he was able to say before he was actually slapped in the face, the force of the hit turning his head to the side. When he faced forward, Drew was greeted with the livid face of May Fisher.

"Do _not _call me a bitch again. And don't you dare talk to me again", she growled out before walking away for good.

Drew looked to the ground, slightly ashamed. He _had_ been a little out of line for calling her a bitch, but he was just calling it as he saw it. No harm in that, right?

The figure walking away from him seemed to say otherwise.

* * *

><p>May stormed into her house and chucked her backpack across the hall, shaking with fury. She thought that she was showing remarkable restraint. The last time someone called her a bitch, May had promptly ended his life with a simple flick of her mind.<p>

She padded over to Misty's room, where she found the redhead sitting listlessly on her bed. Sighing, she made her way over to her sister.

"Hey there, Misty."

Hearing her name, the water-lover turned her head slightly. The light of the room shone brightly, illuminating the dark circles under her eyes.

"Feeling any better?"

Misty shook her head.

May's forehead scrunched up in worry. "I know this is a hard time for you right now, but you _really_ need to try and get some sleep."

The redhead sighed. "I've tried, May. Really hard. But I just can't. The nightmares are….awful. Painful. I don't want to remember them."

The brunette's heart ached for her sister. "I know, sweetie. Is there anything I can do for you?" Another shake of the head. "Well, if there is, just let me know."

As May closed the door to Misty's room, she felt drained. All of her previous anger had been replaced with worry for her sister. She bumped into Dawn as she walked back to the kitchen.

"How's she doing?" Dawn asked softly.

"She's coping. Hasn't gotten a wink of sleep, though."

The bluenette bit her lip, seemingly in thought. After a moment's silence, she hesitantly ventured, "I think I know how we can cheer her up a bit."

"What's that?"

"You're not gonna like this…"

Half an hour later, someone hesitantly entered Misty's room. Hearing this, Misty sighed, "Look, I'd rather not be bothered right now May."

"But I'm not May", a much deeper voice said.

Whipping her head to the door, Misty's eyes widened as she took in the picture in front of her.

"Ash! What're you doing here?"

"May called me…she said something about you not feeling well?" Ash took in her dark circles and pale face, piecing together that she hadn't been sleeping.

Almost as if reading his thoughts, Misty covered herself with her arms and looked the other way. "I'm fine. I might look like a mess, but I'm really fine."

Ash wasn't deterred as he made his way over to her side. "Look, I'm not judging you Mist. I just want you to feel better. So lay down, will you?" Misty hesitantly obeyed.

"It's okay if you don't wanna talk about it", Ash told her. "I can talk enough for the both of us!" Misty giggled a bit at that.

"You don't have to do that", she said. After a bit of silence, Misty started telling her story. "You know how today is December 15? Well, eleven years ago today, my house caught on fire, and it started in my parent's room… It spread really quickly, and I only survived because I was by the pool and jumped in to avoid the fire. It was awful…" she summarized in a slow, unsteady voice.

Ash's eyes softened throughout her tale, empathizing with her and feeling her pain. "Mist, I didn't know… I wouldn't have pressed Torkoal on you if I'd known."

Misty shook her head. "No, it was a good experience. I'm just too scared to fall asleep because I know I'll just have nightmares about that day."

The raven-haired boy quickly enveloped Misty in a hug. Gently rubbing her back, he murmured, "If you want, I'll be right here. I'll make sure you won't have nightmares."

Her heart fluttered. "You'd do that?"

"Of course I would. Just try to get some rest."

Misty weakly smiled. "Okay." She tucked herself under the covers, and was immediately comforted by the feeling of Ash brushing the hair off her face. "Thank you", she whispered.

"Anything for you, Mist."

Standing outside the door, May and Dawn had witnessed the entire exchange. The bluenette was, of course, melting from the cuteness of it all. May, on the other hand, was better at keeping her emotions in check.

"That was so sweet!" Dawn squealed once they were a safe distance away from Misty's room.

"Mmhmm", May said distractedly.

"I can't believe you called him over! I thought for sure you wouldn't agree with me."

The brunette sighed, before explaining herself. "I don't really want to approve of Misty liking Ash in that way. But if it helps her cope, who am I to say no? That's what sisters are for, right?"

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's the end of this chapter. I'm not the hugest fan of pokeshipping, but it just seems to natural and plausible, so there it is. Please review! I'll love you dearly if you do!<strong>


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